Citrus Canker Legal Fight Dismissed After Payment

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Just after the Florida Legislature supplied income and a examine was despatched, the Florida Supreme Courtroom on Thursday dismissed a just about two-10 years lawful struggle above the point out chopping down Lee County homeowners’ healthier citrus trees.

Lawmakers this yr accepted expending extra than $19 million to pay out a judgment in the course-action lawsuit, which stemmed from trees remaining slash down as element of endeavours to end the unfold of citrus-canker illness.

The lawsuit was submitted against the Office of Agriculture and Purchaser Companies in 2003 for using 33,957 healthier citrus trees on 11,811 residential qualities, in accordance to an appeals-courtroom final decision. In 2014, after a jury demo, the Lee County householders ended up awarded $thirteen.625 million moreover desire, alongside with hundreds of thousands of bucks in legal professional expenses.

But after the point out unsuccessful to pay out the judgment, the scenario went back to courtroom, with a circuit judge and the 2nd District Courtroom of Enchantment ordering the payments. The rulings explained the point out experienced violated a constitutional ban on using house with no having to pay complete compensation.

The Office of Agriculture and Purchaser Companies appealed to the Supreme Courtroom, but lawmakers in March incorporated income in the price range to pay out the judgment, with a examine for $19,173,978 despatched previous thirty day period to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, in accordance to a duplicate of the examine submitted at the Supreme Courtroom.

Justices on Thursday dismissed the scenario as moot and also granted the plaintiffs’ motion for legal professional expenses. The sum of expenses will be established by a circuit judge.

Supply: News Services of Florida