On July 9, 2009, the Administrative Court of Armenia rejected the lawsuit filed by a number of civic and environmental groups calling for a halt to mining operations in Teghut forest. The plaintiffs - Transparency International Anti-corruption Center, Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office and "Ecodar" environmental NGO, presented a 66-page lawsuit to the court. The court argued that the NGOs acting as plaintiffs were not authorized to raise such environmental concerns.

The reason for the claim to the Administrative Court was that government decision on exploitation of Teghut deposit was in defiance of the Armenian Constitution, a number of laws and international agreements.