Court Rules in Favor of Woodbury County 4-H in Order Denying Injunction

When Judge Steven Andreasen issued his order in favor of the Woodbury County 4-H, he wrote, “Finally, the Court finds that the function of this [4-H] subcommittee meeting […] had the purpose of furthering and protecting the purposes and goals of 4-H in general.” Judge Andreasen then went on to say, “The State has an interest in protecting the interests of the 4-H program and enforcing its code of conduct.”

When the Krieg family brought an action against the Woodbury County 4-H seeking an injunction that would allow their son, Keaton Krieg, to show animals at upcoming 4-H events, it was the integrity and values of the 4-H program that were truly at stake. After events at the Woodbury County Fair lead to Keaton being placed not in good standing, the Krieg’s asserted that such a determination was made without a fair process being afforded to Keaton.

To be certain, Judge Andreasen’s order had nothing to do with whether Keaton Krieg did anything wrong on the morning of August 3 at the Woodbury County Fair. This issue was not before the Court. The issue was only whether Keaton had been given a fair chance to be heard before being placed not in good standing. In the end, the Court sided with 4-H, as the Krieg’s failed to establish a likelihood of success on any of their claims.

The Court’s ruling has now set an important precedent that allows 4-H to continue to handle these types of disputes internally, rather than through the legal system. Because of this, 4-H can continue to enforce their mission and values just as they’ve done for over a century. 4-H has played an important role in youth development, and has allowed young people to learn valuable skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

Our legal team was proud to represent Woodbury County 4-H in this matter, and we took great pride in our ability to achieve a positive outcome. The Goosmann Law Firm strives to take on clients that find themselves in uncommon or unique circumstances. If it’s important to you, it’s important to us. To find out more about how we can help you with a vast range of legal needs, contact our Sioux City, Sioux Falls, or Omaha offices.