A.D. Makepeace sued for alleged involvement in defamatory Facebook page

Environmental lawyer Meg Sheehan is suing the A.D. Makepeace company for allegedly violating her constitutional rights and causing her emotional distress through their involvement in a Facebook page that "ridiculed" her for over a year.

Sheehan has represented environmental advocacy groups speaking out against A.D. Makepeace. She claims the company has conducted unlawful sand mining in Wareham, Plymouth, Carver and beyond in the name of cranberry bog construction.

"For the past several years, I have been threatened, verbally abused, demeaned and ridiculed, for no other reason than my legal representation of local residents and groups, without charge, seeking justice for harms to people and the environment by the sand mining industry operating in the region," Sheehan said.

The A.D. Makepeace Company is one of the world's largest cranberry growers and owns significant portions of land in several South Coast towns. The company is one of the largest private land owners in Massachusetts. Makepeace representatives could not be immediately reached for comment.

Sheehan has claimed the sand mining conducted by Makepeace has put the Plymouth Carver sole source aquifer "at risk, obliterated portions of the rare Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens forest, and impinged upon the rights of the indigenous Wampanoag Nation."

Sand mining is the act of excavating sand or gravel from where it naturally exists for use in construction or to sell and it has been a source of contention for environmental activists for many years.

Sheehan’s suit against Makepeace, originally filed in September, claims Makepeace, Plymouth and Carver town officials and business owners violated her constitutional rights and harassed her through a Facebook page called "Meg Costs Us Millions."

The suit claims the page was used to "ridicule and demean [her]" beginning in January 2023 and continued to do so until it was taken down in September of 2024, when Sheehan filed her suit.

Court documents include phrases taken from the page before it was removed that call Sheehan "a vile old hag" and "the second coming of Cruella De Vil."

The suit also cites photoshopped images of Sheehan "to make her unattractive and unappealing by adding a bulbous clown’s nose, or a witch’s features."

Sheehan claims Makepeace in-house attorney Michael McVeigh was the administrator of the page under the name Rebecca Newhouse based on an investigation done by her attorneys through subpoenas issued to internet providers.

A recent filing also claims another Makepeace employee made posts on the account under the name T.J. Strongbow.

According to the suit, posts from the Rebecca Newhouse account refer to Sheehan as a "witch" saying "I’ve watched this witch waste Carver’s money, time and resources for years. Glad she’s facing the music finally.”

Sheehan is seeking $20 million in damages and has accused the defendants of libel, slander, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She is also suing the towns of Plymouth and Carver, Chair of the Plymouth Zoning Board Michael Main, former Plymouth Select Board Chair Betty Cavacco, Carver Town Moderator and owner of a trucking company Alan Germain, Carver Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Stephen Gray and SLT Construction and its President Peter Opachinski.

Sheehan claims Plymouth and Carver town officials insulted and ridiculed her at public meetings.

In 2023, Sheehan, as President of the Community Land and Water Coalition, protested Makepeace sand mining in Wareham, claiming the company's actions were destroying forests and biodiversity as well as compromising the quality of the town's drinking water.

During the same protest, the coalition claimed the town of Wareham had not been enforcing an earth removal bylaw. The bylaw states earth removal operations must obtain a written permit from the Select Board, subject to a fee of $0.25 per cubic yard, payable to the town of Wareham, as well as file a site plan.

Sheehan's suit claims Makepeace owes Wareham an estimated $650,000 in earth removal fees.