5/17/14 - The company that owns the Liquid Manufacturing Co. building and site in Green Oak Township has filed suit against the township and its trustees, individually. Packaging and Distribution Finance Group, or PDFG, filed suit last week in U.S. District Court in Detroit against the township, Supervisor Mark St. Charles, Clerk Michael Sedlak, Treasurer Susan Daugherty and four trustees. The suit alleges that they have violated both the U.S. and Michigan constitutions in their enforcement actions against Liquid Manufacturing. Until February of this year, the company made energy drinks, beer, wine, flavored vodkas, frozen alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic drinks. The company opened in 2003 on Whitmore Lake Road and later expanded operations to increase and diversify its products. At one time, the company employed over 200 people. Ultimately, it ran into financial difficulty and PDFG foreclosed on the property on Feb. 19th. Liquid Manufacturing clashed with the township on numerous occasions during its 12 years in business, mostly over problems experienced by the Hidden Lake Sewage Treatment Plant involving discharges resulting from the alcohol fermentation and related processes at the plant. The township was also under the gun by the Department of Environmental Quality for an excess of sodium at its plant, mostly caused by the distillery. In its lawsuit, PDFG is asking the court to order that all fees, fines and charges assessed by the township be rescinded and to award the company damages and attorney fees. St. Charles says if PDFG wins the lawsuit and is awarded all of the damages it is seeking, it could cost the township half a million dollars. He says that by law, the money could not be taken from the general fund, but would have to come out of the sewer fund. Since thatâs an enterprise fund and therefore must be self-sustaining, the legal bill would fall on the shoulders of residents and businesses connected to the sewage treatment plant. St. Charles denies allegations by PDFG that the townshipâs actions have amounted to an unconstitutional taking of property, violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution or denied due process. Rather, St. Charles says, the township bent over backwards to work with Liquid Manufacturing so that it could come into compliance while continuing operations at the facility. He also says the township came very close to an agreement with PDFG recently that would have resolved the issues and says he is very surprised the company resorted to legal action. PDFG officials could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit. (TT)
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