Lawsuit filed in feud over Brown County inn

NASHVILLE, Ind. -- Many of those who live near a rural Brown County inn have gone to court in their effort to end the music festivals and other large gatherings it has held.\nThe owner of the Story Inn has responded that he and his family feel threatened by those with grudges against him and that many of those involved in the dispute will oppose him no matter what he does at the business he has owned since 1999.\nThe lawsuit filed in the Brown County courts is the latest step in the fight, which saw county officials in January approve new limits on outdoor music at the inn.\nMercedes Phillips, who has lived and raised horses near the Story Inn for 16 years, said the residents suing inn owner Rick Hofstetter simply want to maintain their rural lifestyles.\nThe inn is the only employer in the small community just south of Brown County State Park, some 20 miles east of Bloomington.\nHofstetter has asked that the case be moved to another county.\n"This is literally a blood feud, punctuated by gunfire and threats of violence," Hofstetter, a lawyer, wrote in his motion for change of venue. "If this nasty, vitriolic litigation is to proceed, then at least it should proceed in neutral territory"