Court upholds $1.5 million judgment in Oregon dairy lawsuit

The Oregon Court of Appeals has upheld a $1.5 million judgment against Land O’Lakes Purina Feed for selling defective feed to an Oregon dairy. Neal and Nancy Kaste, who own a dairy farm near Tillamook, Ore., won $750,000 in a lawsuit that accused the manufacturer of supplying feed containing hazardous levels of proteins, phosphorous and copper.The plaintiffs claimed the defective feed sickened or killed many of their cows, causing the dairy to spend money on veterinary treatments and sustain financial losses for which Land O’Lakes was liable.After a jury found in favor of the dairy, Tillamook County Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Hill ordered the feed manufacturer to pay $750,000 in compensation for damages and another $760,000 in attorney fees.Land O’Lakes challenged the decision before the Oregon Court of Appeals, which has now rejected the manufacturer’s arguments that the judge should have issued a “directed verdict” in its favor.