Vloedman v. Cornell

The question before us is whether a statute providing for an award of attorney fees to a successful plaintiff in an action for damages to crops applies when the action was initiated after the statute’s effective date but was based on conduct that occurred before its effective date. The trial court concluded that the attorney fee statute applies, and we agree.

Herbert Vloedman, Jr., and HRV Ranches, Inc., a corporation owned by Vloedman and his family (collectively referred to as the Vloedmans), developed and farmed 40 acres of land in Lake County owned by the Cornell family, who were absentee…