Case Law Index
Local Food Systems

January 1, 2002 - March 1, 2011

This index provides a comprehensive though not necessarily exhaustive compilation of reported and unreported federal and state court decisions involving local food systems 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.

The "Text" link goes to the freely available Google Scholar text of the opinion; the "Summary" link goes to a summary of the opinion written by the National Agricultural Law Center staff.

THIRD CIRCUIT

Freeman v. Fischer, 563 F.Supp.2d 493 (D.N.J. 2008) (dormant commerce clause challenge to state liquor distribution law)  Text

FOURTH CIRCUIT

Hill v. Courter III, 344 F.Supp.2d 484 (E.D. Va. 2004) (abstention of federal court)  Text   |    Summary

FIFTH CIRCUIT

Siesta Vill. Mkt., LLC v. Perry, 530 F.Supp.2d 848 (N.D. Tex. 2008) (challenge to state scheme regulating distribution of out of state wine)  Text

NINTH CIRCUIT

Black Star Farms, LLC v. Oliver, 544 F.Supp.2d 913 (D. Ariz. 2008) (challenge to state scheme regulating distribution of out of state wine)  Text

TENTH CIRCUIT

Randleas v. Neece, No. 00-1424-JTM, 2002 WL 226401 (D. Kan. Feb. 8, 2002) (termination from farmer's market cooperative)   Summary

CALIFORNIA

Clasby v. McColm, No. B209008, 2010 WL 312523 (Cal. Ct. App. Jan. 28, 2010) (exclusion from operating in farmers' market)  Text

Bronco Wine Co. v. Jolly, 129 Cal. App. 4th 988 (Cal. Ct. App., 2005) (geographic labeling, wine)   Text   |    Summary

CONNECTICUT

Zanette v. Planning & Zoning Board of Appeals, 2006 WL 3316770 (Conn. Super. Ct. 2006) (farm stands and zoning)

Abrams v. Jones, 2005 WL 1331232 (Conn. Super. Ct. 2005) (product liability, apple cider)

Messina v. Fifty Acres, L.L.C., 2004 WL 945058 (Conn. Super. Ct. 2004) (farm stands and zoning)

GEORGIA

Ga. Dep't of Agric. v. Brown, 607 S.E.2d 259 (Ga. Ct. App. 2004) (revocation of license to sell at farmers' market)  Text   |    Summary

INDIANA

Daily v. Columbus Bd. of Zoning Appeals, 909 N.E.2d 1038 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009) (denial of temporary use permit for a farmers' market)  Text

Daily v. Columbus Bd. of Zoning Appeals, 904 N.E.2d 343 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009) (denial of temporary use permit for a farmers' market)  Text

Westfield Cos. v. Knapp, 804 N.E.2d 1270 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004) (personal injury on-farm)  Text

MARYLAND

Oyarzo v. Md. Dep't of Health & Mental Hygiene, 978 A.2d 804 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 2009) (ban on selling raw milk; farmer precluded from selling shares in herd for raw milk)  Text

MASSACHUSETTS

Town of Uxbridge ex rel. Girouard v. Vecchione, 21 Mass.L.Rptr. 307, (Mass. Super. Ct. 2006) (farm stand and zoning, loam removal)

DiGiovanni v. Gulberg, 2005 WL 1593608 (Mass. Land Ct. 2005) (farm stand and zoning)

MICHIGAN

Salmon v. City of Cadillac, 2005 WL 3416119 (Mich. Ct. App. 2005) (exclusion from farmers' market)    Summary

Village of Rothbury v. Double JJ Resort Ranch, Inc., 2004 WL 1837835 (Mich. Ct. App. 2004) (zoning and Right to Farm Act)   Summary

MINNESOTA

Minnesota v. Hartmann, 700 N.W.2d 449 (Minn. 2005) (inspection of custom-processed meat)   Text   |    Summary

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Carter v. Concord Gen. Mut. Ins. Co., 924 A.2d 411 (N.H. 2007) (personal injury and hayrides)  Text

PENNSYLVANIA

Schaal v. Unemployment Comp. Bd. of Review, 870 A.2d 952 (Pa. Cmmw. Ct. 2005) (agricultural labor and unemployment)  Text

WISCONSIN

Meyer v. Town of Milton, 268 Wis.2d 844 (Wis. Ct. App. 2003) (farm stand and zoning)