Sturtevant residents file class action suit over Microsoft data center noise

Correction: The initial version of this story stated the plaintiffs in the lawsuit live in Mount Pleasant, when they actually live in Sturtevant.

Three Sturtevant residents have filed a class action lawsuit against Microsoft over the loud noises emitted by the company’s 1.2 million square foot Fairwater data center in Mount Pleasant. 

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, alleges that “on frequent, recurrent, and continuing occasions too numerous to list herein, Plaintiffs’ properties have been and continue to be physically invaded by excessive noise.” The three residents filing the suit, Garret Ostergaard, David Wade and Joy Wade, all live within 1.5 miles of the data center. 

The lawsuit states that the excessive noise from the data center has forced Ostergaard to change his work schedule from third to second shift because he couldn’t sleep. The Wades allege that the constant hum of the data center has made it difficult for them to enjoy their backyard. 

In the lawsuit, the source of the noise is attributed to the data center’s massive cooling fans. 

In filing a class action suit, the plaintiffs are arguing to represent anyone who lives within a 1.5-mile radius of the data center, which the lawsuit states includes more than 1,000 households. 

Microsoft refers to its Mount Pleasant data center as an “AI superfactory” and the “world’s most powerful AI datacenter.” An analysis conducted last year by Clean Wisconsin found that Microsoft’s data center in Mount Pleasant and Vantage’s currently under construction data center in Port Washington promise to use more energy than every household in the state.