State says North Dakota Beef Commission Lawsuit Should be Dismissed

(Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Attorneys for the state of North Dakota have asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses the North Dakota Beef Commission of unlawfully favoring big cattle associations.

The lawsuit, filed in July, says the commission’s appointment process is unconstitutional and must be changed.

In a court filing this month, the state denied those accusations and countered that the plaintiffs — a group of independent ranchers — haven’t made a clear case for why they think the commission is breaking the law.

Attorneys for North Dakota also said that the ranchers can’t bring the lawsuit because their window of time to do so has already expired. North Dakota law says that generally, legal action against the state must be taken within three years after an alleged harm occurs.