Case Law Index
Cooperatives
January 1, 2002 - July 3, 2008
This index provides a comprehensive though not necessarily exhaustive compilation of reported and unreported federal and state court decisions involving cooperatives that were decided on or after January 1, 2002. For those cases that have been summarized by the National Agricultural Law Center, a link is provided to the summary. The index will be regularly updated to reflect new judicial developments. The cases are listed in reverse chronological order.
FIRST CIRCUIT
Sleeper Farms v. Agway, Inc., 506 F.3d 98 (1st Cir. 2007) (confirming arbitration award of damages against cooperative)
Northland Cranberries, Inc. v. Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., 382 F.Supp.2d 221 (D. Mass. 2004) (applicability of the Capper-Volstead Act)
SECOND CIRCUIT
Ice Cream Liquidation, Inc., v. Land O'Lakes, Inc., 253 F.Supp.2d 262 (D.Conn. 2003) (standing)
Ice Cream Liquidation, Inc. v. Land O'Lakes, Inc., 253 F.Supp.2d 262 (D. Conn. 2003) ("filed rate doctrine")
THIRD CIRCUIT
In re Mushroom Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litig., 514 F.Supp.2d 683 (E.D. Pa. 2007) (antitrust litigation against cooperative and members)
In re Mushroom Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litig., No. 06-CV-0620, 2008 WL 583906 (E.D. Pa. March 3, 2008) (motion to dismiss)
Cloverland-Green Spring Dairies, Inc. v. Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Bd., 462 F.3d 249 (3d Cir. 2006) (over-order premium and dairy farms)
Cochran v. Veneman, 359 F.3d 263 (3d Cir. 2004) (independent producers constitutional rights)
FOURTH CIRCUIT
Maryland And Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Ass'n, Inc. v. Crowell Farms, Inc., 102 Fed.Appx. 267 (4th Cir. 2004) (breach of the marketing agreement)
FIFTH CIRCUIT
Am. Rice, Inc. v. Producer Rice Mill, Inc., 518 F.3d 321 (5th Cir. 2008) (trademark infringement by cooperative)
Lone Star Milk Producers, Inc. v. Litzler, 370 B.R. 671 (B.A.P. 5th Cir. 2007) (express trust for diary farmer)
Nutrasep, LLC v. TOPC Texas LLC, 2006 WL 3063432 (W.D. Tex. 2006) ("know-how" and technology)
SIXTH CIRCUIT
In re Se. Milk Antitrust Litg., No. 2:08-MD-1000, 2008 WL 2368212 (E.D. Tenn. June 6, 2008) (Capper-Volstead antitrust immunity; filed rate doctrine)
In re Se. Milk Antitrust Litg., --- F.Supp.2d ---, 2008 WL 2117159 (E.D. Tenn. 2008) (antitrust violations)
U.S. ex. rel. Fellhoelter v. Valley Milk Products, L.L.C., No. 3:05-CV-343, 2008 WL 217116 (E.D. Tenn. Jan. 24, 2008) (False Claims Act)
Lay v. Burley Stabilization Corp., No. 3:07-CV-259, 2007 WL 3120800 (E.D. Tenn. Oct. 23, 2007) (dismissing claim for accounting and disbursement of tobacco cooperative)
Rutherford Farmers Coop. v. MTD Consumer Group, Inc., 124 Fed. Appx. 918 (6th Cir. 2005) (inventory repurchase upon the contract's termination)
United States v. Dairy Farmers of Am., Inc., 426 F.3d 850 (6th Cir. 2005) (violation of Clayton Act)
SEVENTH CIRCUIT
White Eagle Co-op Ass'n v. Johanns, 508 F.Supp.2d 644 (N.D. Ind. 2007) (dismissing review of milk marketing order)
Farmers Bank of Hamburg, Ark. v. U.S. Dept. of Agric., 495 F.3d 559 (8th Cir. 2007) (review of denial of claims by the Rural Business-Cooperative Service)
In re StarLink Corn Products Liability Litigation, 2005 WL 327020 (N.D. Ill. 2005) (non-genetically modified corn)
White Eagle Co-op. Ass'n v. Johanns, 396 F.Supp.2d 954 (N.D. Ind. 2005) (price of milk on an "emergency" basis)
EIGHTH CIRCUIT
Corn Plus Coop. v. Cont'l Cas. Co., 516 F.3d 674 (8th Cir. 2008) (negligent welding at a ethanol coop)
Willman v. Riceland Foods, Inc., No. 4:07CV00488-WRW, 2007 WL 2990422 (E.D. Ark. Oct. 9, 2007) (co-op member's negligence claim against co-op)
In re Wright, 353 B.R. 627 (B.A.P. 8th Cir. 2006) (preferential and fraudulent transfers)
Scherbart v. C.I.R., 453 F.3d 987 (8th Cir. 2006) (deferring of value-added payments)
In re Corn-Pro Nonstock Cooperative, Inc., 318 B.R. 153 (B.A.P. 8th Cir. 2004) (nonstock cooperative qualified as "farmer")
In re DLC, Ltd., 295 B.R. 593 (B.A.P. 8th Cir. 2003) (rights to the transferred property)
South Dakota Farm Bureau, Inc. v. Hazeltine, 340 F.3d 583 (8th Cir. 2003) (land use for farming restrictions)
Smithfield Foods, Inc. v. Miller, 241 F.Supp.2d 978 (S.D. Iowa 2003) (violation of commerce clause)
Top of Iowa Coop. v. Schewe, 324 F.3d 627 (8th Cir. 2003) (hedge-to-arrive contracts)
Bot v. C.I.R., 353 F.3d 595 (8th Cir. 2003) (self-employment tax on value-added payments)
Asa-Brandt, Inc. v. ADM Investor Services, Inc., 344 F.3d 738 (8th Cir. 2003) (hedge-to-arrive contracts)
Racicky v. Farmland Industries, Inc., 328 F.3d 389 (8th Cir. 2003) (feed injured the dairy cows)
NINTH CIRCUIT
Bybee Farms, LLC v. Snake River Sugar Co., --- F.Supp.2d ---, 2008 WL 2397545 (E.D. Wash. 2008) (breach of oral agreement to buyout member shares)
Lopes v. Viera, -- F.Supp.2d --, 2008 WL 706860 (E.D. Cal. 2008) (motion to dismiss)
Bybee Farms, LLC v. Snake River Sugar Co., No. CV-06-5007-FVS, 2007 WL 3353765 (E.D. Wash. Nov. 9, 2007) (breach of fiduciary duty by cooperative officer)
Andrews Farms v. Calcot, Ltd., 527 F.Supp.2d 1239 (E.D. Cal. 2007) (motion to dismiss fraud claims)
College of the Sequoias Farm v. White Gold Assoc., Inc., 2007 WL 2022040 (E.D. Cal. July 09, 2007) (conspiracy and fraud in marketing and sale of cotton)
Andrews Farms v. Calcot, Ltd., 2007 WL 1701915 (E.D. Cal. June 08, 2007) (RICO and fraud claims, fiduciary duty, accounting)
Lopes v. Vieira, 488 F.Supp.2d 1000 (E.D. Cal. May 30, 2007) ("milk for equity" interest)
United Dairymen of Arizona v. Veneman, 279 F.3d 1160 (9th Cir. 2002) (producer-handler exemption)
TENTH CIRCUIT
In re Bergman, No. 07-40285, 2007 WL 2693641 (Bankr. D. Kan. Sept. 10, 2007) (co-op not entitled to relief from automatic stay)
Gregory v. Fort Bridger Rendezvous Ass'n, 448 F.3d 1195 (10th Cir. 2006) (antitrust liability exemption)
CoBank, ACB v. Reorganized Farmers Cooperative Ass'n, 334 F.Supp.2d 1273 (D. Kan. 2004) (default of loan agreement)
Bell v. Fur Breeders Agricultural Coop., 348 F.3d 1224 (10th Cir. 2003) (antitrust protections)
ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
Rigby v. Flue-Cured Tobacco Co-op Stabilization Corp., No. 7:07-CV-85-HL, 2007 WL 3285599 (M.D. Ga. Nov. 6, 2007) (remanding to state court a cause against cooperative for accounting and distribution of member interest)
Swain v. Flue-Cured Tobacco Co-op Stabilization Corp., No. 7:07-CV-86-HL, 2007 WL3285707 (M.D. Ga. Nov. 6, 2007) (remanding to state court a cause against cooperative for accounting and distribution of member interest)
Griffis v. Flue-Cured Tobacco Co-op Stabilization Corp., No. 7:07-CV-84-HL, 2007 WL3285749 (M.D. Ga. Nov. 6, 2007) (remanding to state court a cause against cooperative for accounting and distribution of member interest)
Lee v. Flue-Cured Tobacco Co-op Stabilization Corp., No. 7:07-CV-82-HL, 2007 WL 3286397 (M.D. Ga. Nov. 6, 2007) (remanding to state court a cause against cooperative for accounting and distribution of member interest)
Altman v. Flue-Cured Tobacco Co-op Stabilization Corp., No. 7:07-CV-83-HL, 2007 WL 3286413 (M.D. Ga. Nov. 6, 2007) (remanding to state court a cause against cooperative for accounting and distribution of member interest)
Sariol v. Fla. Crystals Corp., 490 F.3d 1277 (11th Cir. 2007) (agricultural exemption from overtime-pay rules)
Rigby v. Flue-Cured Tobacco Coop. Stablization Corp., 2006 WL 1312412 (M.D. Ga. 2006) (distribution of the cooperative's equity)
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
Affiliated Foods, Inc. v. C.I.R., 128 T.C. 62 (2007) (redetermination of income tax deficiencies and "trade discounts")
Scherbart v. C.I.R., No. 3345-00, 2004 WL 1354120 (2004) (deferring of value-added payments)
ARIZONA
United Dairymen of Ariz. v. Rawlings, 177 P.3d 334 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2008) (enforcement of liquidated damages clause against member)
United Dairymen of Arizona v. Schugg, 212 Ariz. 133 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2006) (implied covenant)
CALIFORNIA
Nunes v. Downey Brand LLP, 2006 WL 2147613 (Ct. App. 2006) (cooperative's failure to make payments)
GEORGIA
Gold Kist, Inc. v. Moody, 575 S.E.2d 509 (Ga. Ct. App. 2002) (valuation of equity accounts)
Rushing v. Gold Kist Inc., 2002 WL 1363976 (Ga. Ct. App. June 25, 2002) (arbitration)
KANSAS
In re National Coop. Refinery Ass'n, 273 Kan. 500 (Kan. 2002) (combined report method of allocating income)
Ihrig v. Frontier Equity Exchange Ass'n, 35 Kan. App. 2d (Kan. App. 2006) (inspection of documents request)
Hall v. Kansas Farm Bureau, 50 P.3d 495 (Kan. 2002) (termination of officer)
NEW YORK
Cornhusker Farms, Inc. v. Hunts Point Coop. Market, Inc., 769 N.Y.S.2d 228 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003) (merger clause, no-oral modification clause, constructional budget)
NORTH CAROLINA
Bailey v. Flue Cured Tobacco Coop. Stabilization Corp., 581 S.E.2d 811 (N.C. App. 2003) (exemption from antitrust laws)
Bailey v. Flue-Cured Tobacco Coop. Stabilization Corp., 2002 WL 31003721 (N.C. Super. 2002) (exemption from antitrust laws)
NORTH DAKOTA
Dixon v. McKenzie County Grazing Ass'n, 675 N.W.2d 414 (N.D. 2004) (change the rancher's headquarters)
OHIO
Dairy Farmers of Am., Inc. v. Wilkins, 101 Ohio St.3d 100 (Ohio 2004) (subsidiary company and use taxes)
PENNSYLVANIA
In re Mushroom Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, 2007 WL 1221143 (E.D. Pa. April 25, 2007) (antitrust violations)
SOUTH CAROLINA
McMillan v. Gold Kist, Inc., 577 S.E.2d 482 (S.C. App. 2003) (arbitration clause)
SOUTH DAKOTA
Cooperative Agronomy Services v. South Dakota Department of Revenue, 668 N.W.2d 718 (S.D. 2003) (sales tax assessment)
WASHINGTON
Nakata v. Blue Bird, Inc., No. 26434-3-III, 2008 WL 2623970 (Wash. Ct. App. July 3, 2008) (failure to distribute equity; right to inspect records; attorneys' fees)
WISCONSIN
Leach Farms, Inc. v. Valley Bakers Coop. Ass'n, No. 2007AP997, 2008 WL 2185438 (Wis. Ct. App. May 28, 2008) (insurance policy coverage of cooperative's leased premises)
Shea v. Foremost Farms USA Co-op., 739 N.W.2d 491, 2007 WL 2264533 (Wis. Ct. App. Aug. 9, 2007) (dismissal of breach of contract suit)