Farmers, ranchers and dairymen are subject to unique regulations and often face complex legal issues impacting their operations. Defective seeds, genetically modified seed issues, livestock losses, easements, and land disputes are issues common to agricultural businesses.We handle agricultural disputes involving:
- Genetically modified seeds, market tainting, and closed markets
- Defective seeds and seedlings
- Faulty pesticide, herbicide and fungicide applications
- Crop damage
- Storage issues
- Livestock losses
- Mineral royalty disputes
- Contract, warranty, and cooperative agreement disputes
- Real estate, right-of-way, easement, and other land disputes
We have represented, or are currently representing, farmers, ranchers, and property owners in a variety of litigation involving genetically modified seeds, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the installation of fiber optic cable without proper easements, unconstitutional land takings, oil and gas royalties, and contract disputes. We are seasoned agriculture litigators.
Representative cases:
In re Syngenta AG MIR 162 Corn Litigation; MDL No. 2591 (D. Kansas) (currently represent over 8800 corn farmers in over 42 states against Syngenta for releasing genetically modified corn traits into the United States market before they were approved by China, thereby resulting in a Chinese embargo on United States corn).
In re Honey Transshipping Litigation; No. 13-C-2905 (N.D. Ill.) (represented independent honey producers against importers that illegally imported transshipped honey from China and other illicit-source countries into the United States, thereby defrauding the federal government out of millions of dollars of antidumping duties, and defrauding United States honey producers out of millions of dollars of honey sales) (multimillion dollar settlement).
Quebedeaux v. United States; No. 1:11-cv-00389-FMA (U.S. Court of Federal Claims) (pending) (unconstitutional takings case on behalf of business and property owners in a 4600 square mile area of the Atchafalaya River basin in south central Louisiana whose farms, ranches, property and businesses were damaged or destroyed by floodwaters when the federal government opened the Morganza Spillway on the Mississippi River in May 2011).
In re Monsanto Company Genetically-Engineered Wheat Litigation; MDL No. 2473 (D. Kansas) (represented over 100 wheat farmers in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho for tainting the United States soft white wheat crop, and causing an embargo by Asian nations, such as Japan and South Korea, on United States soft white wheat) (case settled for $2.375 million).
In re: Genetically Modified Rice Litigation; MDL No. 1811 (D. Missouri) (represented over 950 rice farmers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri against Monsanto for tainting the United States rice crop, and causing a European Union embargo on United States long grain rice) (case settled for $750 million).