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Last week, the Georgia Court of Appeals made its ruling on the bond validation dispute regarding the proposed Safer Human Medicine primate facility, ruling in favor of Safer Human Medicine and the Decatur County-Bainbridge Industrial Development Authority. The case had been brought by District Attorney Joe Mulholland, who raised issues over the legality of the bond validation, with the court filing requesting the bond validation be reconsidered.

“Because the State petitioned the trial court for the bond validation, it cannot bring an appeal from the trial court’s order granting that petition,” the ruling stated, adding in conclusion, “The trial court’s order, therefore, provides no basis for the State to appeal, and this appeal must be dismissed.”

This is not the only case still facing SHM, as local residents have also filed cases, one arguing that local governing bodies did not properly notify the public, per the Georgia Open Meetings Act, and another being a nuisance suit. Neither case has had any change or progress yet.

Following last week’s ruling, Safer Human Medicine released a statement, which read: “Safer Human Medicine is pleased with the Georgia Court of Appeals’ decision. As expected, the Court based its decision on well-established law and confirmed that the economic development process we engaged in with local authorities was executed correctly.”

The statement continued, “With this ruling, we look forward to engaging with the local Development Authority on next steps. We want the citizens of Bainbridge and Decatur County to know that Safer Human Medicine is dedicated to offering good-paying jobs and positively contributing to the local economy. Our highest priority will be to ensure we operate a high-quality, safe, and environmentally responsible facility. Together, our company and Bainbridge can play a critical role in supporting the American medical research community in developing medicines that improve and save lives.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has played a significant role in the ongoing fight by citizens against the facility. PETA primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel gave a statement following the decision.

“This fight is far from over. The court’s decision, based on a dizzying and often confusing set of facts, is nothing more than a bump on a one-way road leading to the end of a cruel and pointless monkey-breeding colossus that’s vehemently opposed by the residents of Bainbridge.” She concluded with criticism of the SHM executives and their history with companies like Charles River Laboratories and Envigo, and calling the facility “an unprecedented, dangerous, and soon-irrelevant monkey warehouse that would come at the expense of a beautiful town.”

Local citizens have made their opposition to the facility known for months, organizing online via the Facebook group StandUpBainbridgeGA. The group likewise released a statement regarding the decision: “StandUpBainbridgeGA expected smugness from SHM regarding the appellate court ruling. It is just law taking its due course. It isn’t over!”

The group expressed gratitude towards PETA for the organization’s involvement, and was critical of local government, saying, “Yes, PETA helped educate and bolster our local movement in the beginning.  Thankfully so. The fact is, we are educated about the dangers and did the research that our industrial authority, development authority and the city should have done from the beginning. If they had, we would NOT be where we are today.” The statement closed, criticizing local government meeting’s use of executive sessions, which citizens are not privy to, and lack of transparency, while asserting their commitment to stopping the project.

The Post-Searchlight has reached out to District Attorney Mulholland for more legal information about the ruling and what it means going forward, but has not received a response yet.