Peabody Energy asks a judge to strike lyrics of protest song from federal lawsuit

CHEYENNE, Wyo. • Peabody Energy Corp. wants a judge to strike lyrics of a strip-mining protest song from a federal lawsuit filed by environmental activists who claim they were jailed for demonstrating at a company shareholders meeting.

The activists, Thomas Asprey and Leslie Glustrom, sued Peabody, the Northern Wyoming Community College District and a college district police officer. They claim campus police jailed them on the company's orders during the 2013 shareholders meeting in Gillette.

Peabody has asked a federal judge not only to dismiss the case but to strike lyrics of the 1971 John Prine song, "Paradise," which criticized Peabody's mining practices in Kentucky, from their complaint. Peabody says the lyrics tarnish its name.

The refrain in "Paradise" cites Peabody's role in strip mining Muhlenberg County in western Kentucky.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/peabody-energy-asks-a-judge-to-strike-lyrics-of-protest/article_a6e17f4d-46b1-52e9-961e-fd5443aea795.html