Torts
Fees
Water Management
Harold Griffith, et al. v. Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency
Published: Feb. 4, 2012 | Result Date: Nov. 18, 2011 | Filing Date: Jan. 1, 1900 |Case number: CISCV168936 Bench Decision – Defense
Court
Santa Cruz Superior
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Defendant
Facts
Plaintiffs sued to challenge fees imposed by the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency. Defendants charged an $18 to $20 management fee in 1993, an $80 pumping fee in 2002 and a new pumping fee in 2010.
Result
The court applied the concept of laches to rule that the claims against the management fee and the $80 fee were untimely. They further found that the procedures used to implement the 2010 fee complied with a tax initiative passed in 1996. The court left open the question of whether any of the members of the agency board had a conflict of interest.
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