A North Carolina superior court judge has thrown out a lawsuit aimed at preventing Sanderson Farms from building a poultry processing plant in Nash County, according to local media reports.

Area residents opposing the plant had sued Nash County commissioners, claiming they illegally rezoned the proposed site for industrial use to accommodate the plant but should have considered other uses for the 150-acre tract, according to news reports.

The judge found no evidence that Nash County violated normal zoning practices, according to local media citing a report in the Rocky Mount Telegram.

Sanderson Farms has delayed the project due to tough chicken market conditions, including high feed grain costs, but says it still plans to build the plant.  The plant is expected to bring 1,100 jobs to the area.