ATS Tree Services, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission
Small business owner fights FTC’s lawless non-compete ban
Adam Servin founded ATS Tree Services in 2014, offering tree removal services and firewood sales in Pennsylvania. ATS asks new employees to sign a one-year non-compete agreement, meaning an employee who leaves must wait one year before working at a competitor tree care company in the same geographic area as ATS. In 2024, the FTC issued a new rule b ...
CTM Holdings LLC v. USDA
Farming family fights government’s illegal restrictions on their livelihood
Iowa attorney Jim Conlan grew up in a farming family, so when considering new investment options, reconnecting with his family legacy through agriculture was a natural fit. But Jim's efforts to support this time-honored industry soon ran headlong into government overreach by regulators that lack his deep respect for farming's critical role in sust ...
Green v. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Fishermen fight illegal fishing ban
In 2021, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation that banned commercial fishing across millions of acres in the fertile Georges Bank region of the North Atlantic Ocean, a devastating blow to New England's iconic fishing industry. If the president can designate "ecosystems" and millions of acres of the ocean floor as "a national monument, ...
White v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Feds ignore the Supreme Court to prosecute property owners
Robert White worked for many years to build a highly successful commercial seafood business in North Carolina. While he earned a good livelihood, he invested much of his earnings in coastal property as a way to ensure financial security for his children.But now Robert and his family face financial ruin due to a remorseless power grab by two federal ...
Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, et al. v. SEC
SEC uses new climate change rule to shame companies and undermine Congress
On March 6, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission finalized a rule mandating climate-related disclosures from publicly traded companies. This is on top of the agency's existing regulations requiring companies to disclose material environmental risks. The new Climate Rule mandates that public companies must report on whether they have imple ...
Joe Manis v. U.S. Department of Agriculture
Horse owner battles government agency’s unlawful in-house tribunals
Joe Manis is a retired North Carolina business owner who has been involved with Tennessee Walking Horses for more than 50 years. When he sold his modular-home company in May 2022 at age 76, he was finally able to focus on the beloved, elegant walking horses he owns and cares for at his family's Laurinburg, ...
Ward v. US Army Corps of Engineers
Feds ignore the Supreme Court to wrongfully regulate property owners
Dan Ward is among a growing number of landowners injured by the federal government's regulatory recalcitrance. His simple desire to build a pond at his rural homestead in Iowa landed him in the crosshairs of the Army Corps' power-hungry desire to regulate landowners and completely disregard the Supreme Court. ...
United States v. Melton E. “Val” Valentine, Jr., et al.
Federal agency ignores the Supreme Court to prosecute landowners
No matter how strong its zeal to make an example of the Valentines and deter other landowners from pursuing similar development, the Army Corps cannot simply ignore a Supreme Court decision or assume enforcement powers it doesn't have. Represented by Pacific Legal Foundation at no charge, the Valentines are now making a full-throated defen ...
Heaton et al. v. Biden et al.
Ranching family fights President Biden’s Antiquities Act abuse
Chris Heaton is a sixth-generation landowner and rancher who embodies the rugged individualism, adventurism, and tireless work ethic of the American West. Chris's land, family legacy, and rights have landed in the crosshairs of President Biden's new national monument designation. Represented by PLF at no charge, Chris is fighting back with a federa ...