KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Three people are suing Tennessee government officials over a law that forbids some foreign individuals and entities from owning land in Tennessee.
The law in question prevents people, businesses and other groups residing in certain foreign countries considered to be adversarial to the United States, from owning land in Tennessee. If they already own that land, the law forces them to divest themselves of it.
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This law took effect Wednesday January 1.
Stephen Misch, Jason Vance, Alessandro Silvestroni, and the company Walton Tennessee, LLC are suing Tennessee officials Jonathan Skrmetti, Tre Hargett and Charlie Hatcher.
This law was sparked over concerns of Chinese entities buying land in Tennessee. Tennessee Representative Jason Zachary said that Walton Tennessee LLC is a “shell company.”
Loudon County Mayor Buddy Bradshaw spoke about a particular section of land owned by Walton Tennessee: “I think the biggest concern for Loudon County, of course, is our location to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. There’s also a dedicated hardline that runs through that property from north to south all the way into Washington D.C. and into New York, the banking district, and so these lands are valuable. Certainly we’re no friend of China and China is no friend of ours.”