SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — On Wednesday morning, the South Dakota Supreme Court will hear the a case of a Black Hawk neighborhood against the state.
KELOLAND News will livestream the oral arguments at 9 a.m. CST from Knudson School of Law courtroom in Vermillion. You can watch in the player above.
A large sinkhole opened in the Hideaway Hills neighborhood community in Black Hawk in April of 2020. The sinkhole caused 13 homes to be evacuated due to the instability, and around 150 residents experienced and are currently experiencing issues such as cracking and settling, according to a brief from the court.
It was later discovered the neighborhood was built on an old gypsum mine. Andrew Morse and other residents filed a class action suit with neighbors against the state for damages.
Morse is represented by attorneys Kathleen Barrow, Matthew Leerberg, Michael Beardsley and Matthew McIntosh.
The state of South Dakota is represented by Justin Bell, Robert Anderson, Terra Larson and Robert Morris.
What to know about the South Dakota Supreme Court
The state’s highest court will hear oral arguments on eight cases. They will hear four Wednesday and four on Thursday. KELOLAND News will livestream the oral arguments for two of the cases: Morse, et al v. State, et al at 9 a.m. Wednesday and City of Sioux Falls v. Johnson Properties at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
You can listen to the other cases on the Supreme Court’s website.
The five justices of South Dakota’s Supreme Court are appointed by the governor from judicial districts and the nominees are subject to statewide electoral approval three years after appointment and every eight years after that.
The members of the South Dakota’s Supreme Court are Chief Justice Steven Jensen, Janine Kern, Mark Salter, Patricia DeVaney and Scott Myren.
Justice Janine M. Kern announced that she will retire from the bench in December.
The court travels throughout the state to hear oral arguments to give citizens in the state a better opportunity to see and hear how the court functions. The South Dakota Supreme Court allowed both television and still cameras in the Supreme Court in August 2001.
