Case Law Index
Checkoff Programs

January 1, 1941 - August 1, 2010

This index provides a comprehensive though not necessarily exhaustive compilation of reported and unreported federal and state court decisions involving the Checkoff Programs that were decided on or after January 1, 1941. 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.



SUPREME COURT


Johanns v. Livestock Mktg. Ass'n, 544 U.S. 550 (2005) (beef checkoff)

Johanns v. Cochran, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005), remanded to No. 03-2522, 2005 WL 2755711 (3d Cir. Sept. 15, 2005) (dairy checkoff)

Lovell v. Cochran, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005), remanded to No. 03-2522, 2005 WL 2755711 (3d Cir. Sept. 15, 2005) (dairy checkoff)

Landreneau v. Pelts & Skins, LLC, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005), remanded to 448 F.3d 743 (5th Cir. 2006) (state alligator checkoff)

Mich. Pork Producers Ass'n v. Campaign for Family Farms, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005) (pork checkoff)

Johanns. v. Campaign for Family Farms, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005) (pork checkoff)

United States v. United Foods, Inc., 533 U.S. 405 (2001) (mushroom checkoff)

Glickman v. Wileman Bros. & Elliott, Inc., 521 U.S. 457 (1997) (tree fruits checkoff)



THIRD CIRCUIT


Cochran v. Sec'y of Agric., No. 03-2522, 2005 WL 2755711 (3d Cir. Sept. 15, 2005), remanded from 544 U.S. 1058 (2005) (dairy checkoff)

Cochran v. Veneman, 359 F.3d 263 (3d Cir. 2004), vacated by 544 U.S. 1058 (2005), remanded to No. 03-2522, 2005 WL 2755711 (3d Cir. Sept. 15, 2005) (dairy checkoff)

Cochran v. Veneman, 252 F. Supp. 2d 126 (M.D. Pa. 2003), vacated, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005), remanded to No. 03-2522, 2005 WL 2755711 (3d Cir. 2005) (dairy checkoff)

United States v. Frame, 658 F. Supp. 1476 (E.D. Pa. 1987) aff'd, 885 F.2d 1119 (3d Cir. 1989) (beef checkoff)



FIFTH CIRCUIT


Pelts & Skins, LLC v. Landreneau, 448 F.3d 743 (5th Cir. 2006), remanded from 544 U.S. 1058 (2005) (state alligator checkoff)

Pelts & Skins, LLC v. Landreneau, 365 F.3d 423 (5th Cir. 2004), vacated, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005), remanded to 448 F.3d 743 (5th Cir. 2006) (state alligator checkoff)

Pelts & Skins, LLC v. Jenkins, 259 F. Supp. 2d 482 (M.D. La. 2003), aff'd in part and vacated in part, 365 F.3d 423 (5th Cir. 2004), vacated, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005), remanded to 448 F.3d 743 (5th Cir. 2006) (state alligator checkoff)

In re Commodity Exch. Services Co., 67 B.R. 313 (N.D. Tex. 1986) (dispute over unpaid assessments)

United States v. Ellis, 427 F.2d 132 (5th Cir. 1970) (action to recover cotton research and promotion assessments)



SIXTH CIRCUIT


Mich. Pork Producers Ass'n v. Veneman, 348 F.3d 157 (6th Cir. 2003), vacated by 544 U.S. 1058 (2005) (pork checkoff)

Mich. Pork Producers Ass'n v. Campaign for Family Farms, 229 F. Supp. 2d 772 (W.D. Mich. 2002)aff'd sub nom. Mich. Pork Producers Ass'n v. Veneman, 348 F.3d 157 (6th Cir. 2003), vacated, 544 U.S. 1058 (2005) (pork checkoff)

Michigan Pork Producers Ass'n, Inc. v. Campaign for Family Farms, 174 F. Supp. 2d 637 (W.D. Mich. 2001) (dispute over termination of the Pork Checkoff Program)

Nature's Dairy v. Glickman, 173 F.3d 429 (6th Cir. 1999) (dairy checkoff)

Newark Gardens, Inc. v. Michigan Potato Indus. Comm'n, 847 F.2d 1201 (6th Cir. 1988) (potato chekoff)



EIGHTH CIRCUIT


J.W. DeWit Farms, Inc., v. Minn. Cultivated Wild Rice Council, 393 F. Supp. 2d 847 (D. Minn. 2005) (state cultivated wild rice checkoff)

Livestock Mktg. Ass'n v. USDA, 335 F.3d 711 (8th Cir. 2003), vacated, 544 U.S. 550 (2005) (beef checkoff)

Livestock Mktg. Ass'n v. USDA, 207 F. Supp. 2d 992 (D.S.D. 2002), aff'd, 335 F.3d 711 (8th Cir. 2003), vacated, 544 U.S. 550 (2005) (beef checkoff)

Jacobson v. Veneman, 18 F. App'x. 441 (8th Cir. 2001) (dispute over referendum on beef checkoff program)

Campaign for Family Farms v. Veneman, 2001 WL 1631459 (D. Minn. 2001) (pork checkoff)

Livestock Mktg. Ass'n v. U.S. Dept. of Agric., 132 F. Supp. 2d 817 (D. S.D. 2001) (beef chekoff)

Campaign for Family Farms v. Glickman, 200 F.3d 1180 (8th Cir. 2000) (pork checkoff)



NINTH CIRCUIT


Delano Farms Co. v. Calif. Table Grape Comm'n, 586 F.3d 1219 (9th Cir. 2009) (generic advertising constituted government speech)

Californians for Humane Farms v. Schafer, No. C 08-03843 MHP, 2008 WL 4449583 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 29, 2008) (injunction to prevent checkoff dollars from being used in state ballet initiative campaign)

Delano Farms Co. v. Cal. Table Grape Comm'n, 546 F.Supp.2d 859 (E.D. Cal. March 31, 2008) (summary judgment)

Am. Honey Producers Ass'n, Inc. v. U.S.D.A, No. CV-F-05-1619 LJO, 2007 WL 1345467 (E.D. Cal. May 8, 2007) (honey checkoff)

Dixon v. Johanns, No. CV-05-03740-PHX-NVW, 2006 WL 3390311 (D. Ariz. Nov. 21, 2006) (upholding watermelon check-off)

Charter v. USDA, 412 F.3d 1017 (9th Cir. 2005) (beef checkoff)

Charter v. USDA, 230 F. Supp. 2d 1121 (D. Mont. 2002) (beef checkoff)

Delano Farms Co. v. Cal. Table Grape Comm'n, 318 F.3d 895 (9th Cir. 2003) (grape checkoff)

Cal-Almond Inc. v. U.S. Dept. of Agric., 192 F.3d 1272 (9th Cir. 1999) (almonds checkoff)

Gallo Cattle Co. v. U.S. Dept. of Agric., 189 F.3d 473 (9th Cir. 1999) (dairy checkoff and bovine growth hormone)

Gallo Cattle Co. v. California Milk Advisory Bd., 167 F.3d 1247 opinion withdrawn and superseded, 185 F.3d 969 (9th Cir. 1999) (milk and dairy checkoff)

Duarte Nursery, Inc. v. California Grape Rootstock Imp. Comm'n, 166 F.3d 342 (9th Cir. 1998) (grape checkoff)



TENTH CIRCUIT


Goetz v. United States, 99 F. Supp. 2d 1308 (D. Kan. 2000) aff'd sub nom. Goetz v. U.S. Dept. of Agric., 12 F. App'x. 718 (10th Cir. 2001) (beef chekoff)

Goetz v. Glickman, 149 F.3d 1131 (10th Cir. 1998) (beef checkoff)



D.C. CIRCUIT


Avocados Plus, Inc. v. Johanns, No. 02-1798, 2007 WL 172305 (D. D.C. Jan. 23, 2007) (summary judgment granted on an "as applied" challenge to avocado checkoff)

Avocados Plus, Inc. v. Johanns, 421 F.Supp.2d 45 (D. D.C. 2006) (summary judgment granted on facial challenges to the avocado checkoff)

Avocados Plus Inc. v. Veneman, 370 F.3d 1243 (D.C. Cir. 2004) (avocado checkoff)



FEDERAL CIRCUIT


In re S.N.A. Nut Co., 188 B.R. 392 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 1995) (walnut checkoff)

In re Flowers, Deverell & Crawford, 66 B.R. 607 (Bankr. W.D. Tenn. 1986) (cotton checkoff)

Agrexco, Agr. Exp. Co., Ltd. v. United States, 9 C.I.T. 40 (Ct. Int'l Trade 1985) (foreign government's contributions of research and development)



UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE


Cricket Hosiery, Inc. v. United States, 429 F. Supp. 2d 1338 (Ct. Int'l Trade 2006) (as-applied challenge)



ARKANSAS


Leathers v. Gulf Rice Arkansas, Inc., 338 Ark. 425 (Ark. 1999) (rice checkoff)



CALIFORNIA


Gallo Cattle Co. v. Kawamura, 72 Cal.Rptr.3d 1, 159 Cal.App.4th 948 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008) (upholding state milk checkoff)

Gerawan Farming, Inc. v. A.G. Kawamura, 90 P.3d 1179 (Cal. 2004) (California plum checkoff)

Gerawan Farming, Inc. v. California Table Grape Comm'n, No. F035605No. F035605, 2001 WL 1613853 (Cal. Ct. App. Dec. 17, 2001) (plum checkoff)

Gerawan Farming, Inc. v. Veneman, 72 Cal. App. 4th 1025 (Cal. Ct. App. 1999) review granted and opinion superseded, 983 P.2d 728 (Cal. 1999) and vacated sub nom. Gerawan Farming, Inc. v. Lyons, 24 Cal. 4th 468 (Cal. 2000) (plum checkoff)

California Kiwifruit Com. v. Moss, 45 Cal. App. 4th 769, (Cal. Ct. App. 1996) review granted and opinion superseded sub nom. California Kiwifruit Corp. v. Moss, 920 P.2d 1252 (Cal. 1996) (kiwifruit checkoff)



FLORIDA


Fla. Dep't of Citrus v. Graves Bros. Co., 912 So. 2d 1217 (Fla. 2005) (citrus checkoff)

Fla. Dep't of Citrus v. Graves Bros. Co., 889 So. 2d 831 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2004) (citrus checkoff)



MAINE


State v. Stinson Canning Co., 161 Me. 320, 211 A.2d 553 (Me. 1965) (sardine checkoff)



MICHIGAN


Dep't of Agric. v. Appletree Mktg., L.L.C., --- N.W.2d ---, 485 Mich. 1 (Mich. 2010) (did state check-off program abrogate common law remedies)

Dukesherer Farms, Inc. v. Dir. of Dept. of Agric., 432 N.W. (Mich. Ct. App. 1988) (cherry checkoff)

Miller v. Michigan State Apple Comm'n, 296 N.W. 245 (Mich. 1941) (apple checkoff)



NORTH DAKOTA


Teigen v. North Dakota, 749 N.W.2d 505 (N.D. 2008) (wheat checkoff did not violate state constitution)







  

This material is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 59-8201-9-115. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The National Agricultural Law Center is a federally funded research institution located at the University of Arkansas School of Law, Fayetteville.

Web site: www.NationalAgLawCenter.org | Phone: (479)575-7646 | Email: NatAgLaw@uark.edu