Residents of Rock Hill are suing a marijuana company, arguing that a "skunky" smell emanating from the business' industrial processing facility near their homes reduces property values and constitutes a public nuisance.
The suit, filed against the company that operates as Proper Brands, seeks class action status for those living within a half-mile of the installation who have been affected by the odor.
In the petition filed Sunday in St. Louis County Circuit Court, lead plaintiffs Robert Smejkal and Tim Heimann, who live near the company, said that "on frequent, recurrent, and continuing occasions too numerous to list herein, [neighbors'] properties have been and continue to be physically invaded by noxious odors."
The company has failed to maintain or improve its building to keep the odor from seeping into the surrounding neighborhoods, the suit said.
Proper Brands, sometimes called Proper Cannabis, is a Missouri company that creates cannabis products under several different brand names. It reportedly grows more than 70 strains of cannabis to use in edibles and vaporizers as well as traditional flower.
Proper Brands spokespeople frequently refer to the company as a vertically integrated enterprise because it manufactures the products it sells in its own dispensaries. In 2025, the medical cannabis company Vireo Growth purchased Proper for $102 million, though Proper retains its original leadership and brand identity.
Approximately 1,500 households are in the half-mile radius of the facility, according to the suit.
The plaintiffs want for those within a half-mile to be recognized as a class. They're also calling for a jury trial and punitive and compensatory damages.
The City of Rock Hill has periodically addressed the smell complaints.
Last year, city officials said they were "aware of the issues with the odor coming from the marijuana production facility and take this issue seriously. We are working with the compliance officer for the facility and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to facilitate more effective odor mitigation solutions."
According to the suit, the city has sent the company a notice for violating local cannabis laws that state no one should be able to smell odors beyond the property line of the business. The notice of violation said the company had to submit a plan for how it would fix the odors.
According to Rock Hill City Administrator Garrett Schlett, representatives from Proper were invited to several city board meetings to answer questions from city officials and residents.
"During their last appearance, the Board formally notified Proper that they were in violation of city standards and required them to implement corrective measures," Schlett said in an email. "Since making those operational adjustments, the City has seen a sharp decline in odor-related complaints."
An email to representatives at Proper Brands was unanswered as of publication time.
Residents have issued more than 300 complaints to a designated email address set up by the city to field comments about the smell.
"There are days I do not want to go outside, due to the extreme odor," wrote one commenter. "I can't imagine trying to resell my place and it's during a time the odor is strong – who will want to purchase my place? The smell in the area needs to go!"
Around 5,000 people live in Rock Hill, a city southwest of Brentwood with an area of around 1 square mile; many area residents know it as the home of the Trainwreck Saloon.
In August, St. Louis Magazine reported one of the founders of Proper was part of a group of people who bought the historic bar on Manchester, which is around the corner from the marijuana facility.
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