In brief
- Nine Texas residents sued MARA over noise, health impacts, and property value losses.
- The complaint details alleged physical, psychological, and economic harm tied to the site.
- Bitcoin miners are increasingly shifting operations toward AI and high-performance computing.
Nine Texas residents have sued MARA Holdings, alleging its Bitcoin mining facility in Granbury, Texas, generates constant noise, vibrations, and low-frequency sound that interfere with daily life and harm their health.
The complaint, first reported by Blockspace, was filed on Friday in the Northern District of Texas and seeks damages above $1 million and demands a jury trial. Plaintiffs argue the operation constitutes a permanent private nuisance that has made their homes difficult to live in and reduced property values.
The filing adds to a growing set of legal challenges tied to the same site. The plaintiffs, members of several families living as close as 0.01 miles from the site, say the facility’s cooling systems run continuously, producing noise that penetrates homes. Some say they no longer open windows or spend time outside, and report vibrations inside their houses.
“This lawsuit arises out [of] the denial of Plaintiffs’ use and enjoyment of their property via interference from the MARA’s management and operation of the Cryptomine,” the complaint said. “The noise and vibrations caused by low-frequency sound emissions from the Cryptomine’s pervasive, persistent, and unbearably loud equipment has resulted in interference with Plaintiffs use and enjoyment of their properties and has resulted in personal injuries which have manifested as [a] direct result of Cryptomine’s operation.”
The complaint describes a range of alleged health effects, including insomnia, headaches, tinnitus, anxiety, and fatigue. Some residents also report hearing loss and hypertension. Others cite changes in livestock behavior and reduced wildlife activity.
Plaintiffs say conditions worsened after MARA took over operations of the facilities in 2024. In March 2024, MARA said in a statement that it is working with the community and taking steps to address concerns at the site.
“We are committed to being thoughtful and considerate members of our new community. We have been actively strategizing and seeking community input regarding our data center,” MARA wrote. “Our goal is to keep you well-informed about our developments. Feedback and partnership from the community throughout this process is crucial.”
The complaint includes four claims: private nuisance, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and restitution. Plaintiffs argue that MARA failed to manage and mitigate the facility’s impact despite being aware of the effects on nearby residents.
MARA has said it has taken steps to reduce sound levels at the site, including shutting down some air-cooled units, building sound barriers, and shifting toward liquid immersion cooling. Residents say those measures have not resolved the issue.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs and MARA Holdings did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Decrypt.
The case comes as Bitcoin mining companies expand into artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, with firms repurposing mining sites for AI workloads, using existing power and cooling infrastructure to secure new computing contracts as demand for data centers grows.
That expansion is facing rising pushback. Across the U.S., large data centers have drawn complaints over noise, electricity demand, water use, and the strain on local resources. In Maine, lawmakers recently passed a first-in-the-nation moratorium on new large-scale AI data centers, citing concerns about their impact on communities.
