OpenAI faces racketeering claim over $30 billion Georgia data center

OpenAI, two affiliates and Effingham County, Georgia officials face a civil racketeering suit over the $30 billion Project Camellia data center, a 3.2 GW campus announced in July.

The complaint alleges civil conspiracy to advance the project through behind-closed-door discussions and decisions, improper zoning procedures and civil racketeering involving false statements, perjury and forgery. It was filed by law firm Savage Turner Pinkney Savage Sprouse & Gilluly on behalf of three Effingham County residents, according to Data Center Dynamics.

For allocators tracking the project, the next decision point is the Effingham County supervisors' board vote on final permission, now set for Nov. 19 after slipping from Nov. 4.

The plaintiffs say offers to buy property near the site have been reduced or withdrawn and that the development has cut their property values. They are seeking civil damages.

Two other suits were filed earlier this year, one over zoning and one over the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority's role in advancing the development. The litigation is running alongside OpenAI's effort to publish its siting terms: as Private Wealth Daily previously reported, the compact it outlined this month covers only sites the company owns and operates and promises stranded-asset insurance for delayed, reduced or canceled projects.

The campus would sit on a 1,440-acre parcel at the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon, with four data center buildings totaling 4.4 million sq ft (408,775 sqm). Construction could start in 2028 if final permission is granted.