Interesting Lawsuits

[Cloud Cover]

I thought it might be interesting to start a thread on some interesting lawsuits that have been reported on lately.

Here’s one where in Washington State a smallish farm (only 68 acres) was held liable for $17million USD in damages. The theory of the case is that the farm soil management practices were negligent and created a reckless hazard in a known high wind basin, causing a dust storm that blacked out a busy highway. The result was a serious accident resulting in life altering injuries.
How many times have you seen dust from a farm blow across a highway?

 

[Blackadder1916]

How many times have you seen dust from a farm blow across a highway?

More than once.

Obviously not an unusual occurrence. The unusual is when it has a catastrophic result.

Can a Farmer Be Held Liable if Blowing Dust From Their Field Causes a Highway Accident?

More than 70 vehicles crashed, killing seven people, in Illinois earlier this week when a dust storm quickly reduced visibility. Freshly tilled fields have been blamed for the dust, but are the farmers legally liable for the accident? Experts explain why that'd be a hard case to prove in court.

www.dtnpf.com

Lessons from the sudden, fatal dust storm that caused a 72-vehicle pileup on 1-55

A sudden dust storm caused low visibility conditions that led to 72 vehicles colliding on Interstate 55 in Illinois on May 1. Seven people died, and 37 others were injured.

www.stlpr.org

Talking Points: I-55 Dust Storm | Illinois Farm Bureau

www.ilfb.org

Localized Dust Storm of May 1, 2023

But it happens enough that there are law firms that advertise using it

Are Farmers Liable for Accidents Caused by Blowing Dust?

Can a Farmer Be Sued for Dust Blowing Off Their Property?

Patel Law, PC represents the interests of those who have been in car accidents.

www.patellawteam.com

 

[Cloud Cover]

It’s another reason to practice no-till (where possible). And widrow + ground vegetation covered hi lo hi berm installation. Not sure about the US, but in parts of Canada the various roads and transportation departments offer assistance in mitigating these risks near highways. It is not the same as being held liable for blowing snow, which was the failed defence in some of those cases.

“But for” the farming practices, the dust would not have obstructed visibility etc, etc.
So yes I can definitely understand the theory of the case.

 

[mariomike]

I remember my department paying $10 million to the estate of a single individual for a 30 minute Response Time delay.

That's about $333,333.33 per minute, by my calculation.

The crew was sent for remedial training, then back on 9-1-1 Operations.

 

[Genetk44]

What was there first? The farm or the highway?

 

[Blackadder1916]

. . . a smallish farm (only 68 acres) was held liable for $17million USD in damages.. . .

Calling the farm "smallish" suggests that this was legal action against a modest family owned holding. However, the named defendant was Frank Tiegs LLC and Greenridge Farming Inc. Frank Tiegs (the individual) and likely his family privately own (or owned, Mr Teigs died before this legal action was finalized) these corporate entities along with others.

AI ASSISTED
Because Frank Tiegs was the private owner of an agricultural and real estate empire, his exact net worth was never publicly verified or published by official wealth trackers like Forbes. However, local business consensus and regional reports estimate that his net worth was between several hundred million dollars and upwards of $4 billion [1, 2] at the time of his passing in February 2024. [1, 2, 3]
The immense value of his estate is tied directly to the massive scale of his private businesses and land holdings: [1]

Northwest agriculture titan Frank Tiegs remembered as devoted entrepreneur and caring father

A celebration of life is held for Tiegs in Kennewick, Washington, on Friday, following his death at 66 in February. His agricultural products can be found at grocery stores across the region, the nation and North America.

www.opb.org

First-name billionaire​

Pacific Northwest billionaires often are called by just their last names: Gates, Weyerhaeuser and Bezos. The one-word utterance and you know what it means: money, influence.

East of the Cascades — in Washington, Oregon and Idaho farm country — one first name means a lot, too: Frank! Frank and his family own a good-sized chunk of the Columbia Basin and many of the food processing plants that feed much of the nation and world. You’ve likely tasted one of his products without knowing it: Pringles chips, fast-food french fries, dehydrated onions and Jamba at Home smoothies frozen fruit. Frank also had a propensity to sue and was a fierce businessman. His celebration of life at 3 p.m. March 29 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, Washington, is expected to draw hundreds from across the nation.

 

[Cloud Cover]

68 acres isn’t small or large. If I run across a 4 billion dollar farm, they aren’t farming cash crops they are farming magic beanstalks. Or bitcoin server farms.

 

[The Bread Guy]

68 acres isn’t small or large. If I run across a 4 billion dollar farm, they aren’t farming cash crops they are farming magic beanstalks. Or bitcoin server farms.

“Net worth” and other holdings suggest WAY more than the farm being worth $4B. Not Big Ag but pretty deep pockets nonetheless.

 

[Blackadder1916]

“Net worth” and other holdings suggest WAY more than the farm being worth $4B. Not Big Ag but pretty deep pockets nonetheless.

How do you define "Big Ag"? Is it net worth, or industrialized corporate farming, or being top of the food chain (pun intended) in their particular sector? One comparison of where this Washington State company (they also own some properties in Canada) sits would be from this 2022 list of the top 150 frozen food producers. In the "fruits and vegetables" section, there are a couple of well known Canadian brands that they can be compared to.