A recent state Supreme Court decision marks the end to a long-running, multi-million dollar lawsuit between Campbell County and a couple who claim the county’s landfill contaminated their property.

The state’s highest court on Friday denied a petition by Claude and Virginia Royal to re-hear the case. The court in January had overturned a 2009 lower court ruling that awarded $9.6 million to the Royals.

 Campbell County has spent more than $1.5 million litigating the landfill case, which began in 2002 when volatile organic chemicals were detected in the Royal’s well water at their Twin Oaks Manufactured Home Community near Yellow Branch. The chemicals, known as VOCs, come from household cleaning supplies and car fluids and are common in municipal landfills. The amounts detected in the Royals’ water exceeded federal levels.

The Royals eventually filed a $10 million lawsuit against the county, claiming it violated federal and state environmental laws when the landfill chemicals entered their property, and the contamination rendered their park worthless...