Janet L. Himsel, Martin Richard Himsel, Robert J. Lannon, Susan M. Lannon v. Samuel Himsel, Cory M. Himsel, Clinton S. Himsel, 4/9 Livestock, LLC, and Co-Alliance, LLP and State of Indiana ( 2019 )

FILED
Apr 22 2019, 5:29 am
CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANTS ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEES
Kim E. Ferraro Christopher J. Braun
Samuel J. Henderson Jonathan P. Emenhiser
Gary, Indiana Justin A. Allen
Indianapolis, Indiana
ATTORNEYS FOR AMICUS CURIAE
HENDRICKS COUNTY ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEES-
INTERVENOR STATE OF INDIANA
Gregory E. Steuerwald
Graham T. Youngs Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Danville, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
ATTORNEY FOR AMICUS CURIAE Aaron T. Craft
THE INDIANA BANKERS ASSOCIATION Deputy Attorney General
Martha R. Lehman Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
ATTORNEYS FOR AMICUS CURIAE
INDIANA AGRICULTURAL LAW
FOUNDATION, INC.
Todd J. Janzen
Brianna J. Schroeder
Indianapolis, Indiana
ATTORNEYS FOR AMICUS CURIAE
INDIANA PORK PRODUCERS
ASSOCIATION, INC.
Daniel P. McInerny
Andrew M. McNeil
Indianapolis, Indiana
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 18A-PL-645 | April 22, 2019 Page 1 of 28
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Janet L. Himsel, Martin Richard April 22, 2019
Himsel, Robert J. Lannon, Susan Court of Appeals Case No.
M. Lannon, 18A-PL-645
Appellants-Plaintiffs, Appeal from the Hendricks
Superior Court
v. The Honorable Mark A. Smith,
Judge
Samuel Himsel, Cory M. Trial Court Cause No.
Himsel, Clinton S. Himsel, 4/9 32D04-1510-PL-150
Livestock, LLC and Co-Alliance,
LLP,
Appellees-Defendants,
and
State of Indiana,
Appellee-Intervenor.
Altice, Judge.
Case Summary
[1] Martin Richard Himsel, Janet L. Himsel, Robert J. Lannon, and Susan M.
Lannon (collectively, the Plaintiffs) filed a complaint, alleging nuisance,
negligence, and trespass, against Samuel T. Himsel, Cory M. Himsel, Clinton
S. Himsel, 4/9 Livestock, LLC, and Co-Alliance, LLP (collectively, the
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 18A-PL-645 | April 22, 2019 Page 2 of 28
Defendants). Specifically, the Plaintiffs alleged in their complaint that the
concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) placed on 4/9 Livestock’s
property in 2013 created noxious odors that are so extreme as to greatly
diminish the Plaintiffs’ quality of life, reduce their property values, and alter
their daily activities. In their complaint, the Plaintiffs also challenged the
constitutionality of Ind. Code § 32-30-6-9, which is commonly known as the
Right to Farm Act (the RTFA), and Ind. Code § 15-11-2-6(a), 1 which requires
the Indiana Code to be construed to “protect the rights of farmers to choose
among all generally accepted farming and livestock production practices,
including the use of ever changing technology.”
[2] The Defendants moved for summary judgment on all claims, and, thereafter,
the Plaintiffs filed a motion for partial summary judgment regarding their
constitutional challenges. Following a hearing, the trial court granted summary
judgment in favor of Clinton, Cory, and Samuel Himsel (the Individual Himsel
Defendants) but otherwise denied both motions for summary judgment. The
Defendants filed a motion to correct error, once again seeking summary
judgment on all claims against them. Amici curiae – the Indiana Agricultural
Law Foundation (IALF) and Hendricks County – filed briefs in support of the
Defendants’ motion to correct error. In addition to opposing the Defendants’
1
We will refer to this statute as the Agricultural Canon.
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motion to correct error, the Plaintiffs asserted cross-error regarding the trial
court’s grant of summary judgment to the Individual Himsel Defendants.
[3] The trial court granted the Defendants’ motion to correct error and then entered
summary judgment in favor of the Defendants on all claims. On appeal, the
Plaintiffs challenge the entry of summary judgment.
[4] We affirm.
Facts & Procedural History
[5] Samuel Himsel has farmed in rural Hendricks County his entire life. His sons,
Cory and Clinton, also make their living farming in the county. In 2012, the
three decided to start a hog-raising operation, and, in January 2013, they
formed 4/9 Livestock. The Individual Himsel Defendants are the sole
members of 4/9 Livestock. The Individual Himsel Defendants decided to
locate the 4/9 Livestock operation at 3042 North 425 West in Danville (the
Farm), which property had been in their family for more than two decades.
Samuel’s parents acquired this farmland in the early 1990s, and the land had
been used for agricultural purposes since at least 1941. Between at least 1994
and 2013, the Farm had been used consistently for crops.
[6] In February 2013, Samuel submitted a rezoning petition to the Hendricks
County Area Plan Commission to rezone 58.42 acres of farmland on the Farm.
The land was zoned agricultural residential (AGR), and Samuel petitioned for it
to be rezoned agricultural intense (AGI), which allows for CAFOs. Following
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a public hearing on March 12, 2013, at which Richard Himsel spoke in
opposition to the rezoning, the Plan Commission unanimously recommended
approval of the requested rezoning. In doing so, the Plan Commission made
the following written findings:
(1) The comprehensive plan[:] The Commission finds that the
proposal does substantially comply with the
recommendations of the Hendricks County Comprehensive
Plan…. The Comprehensive Plan expressly lists confined
animal feeding operations as a recommended land use in the
area under consideration.
(2) Current conditions and the character of current structures
and uses in each district[:] The Commission finds that the
proposal is consistent and compatible with the character of
current structures and uses in the zoning district…. The area
is a well-established, longstanding agricultural community.
Furthermore, the proposed use is an agricultural use expressly
recognized in the current Comprehensive Plan.
(3) The most desirable use for which the land in each district is
adapted[:] The Commission finds that the proposal does
represent the most desirable use for which the land is adapted.
The 1983, 1998, and 2008 Comprehensive Plans have
consistently recommended that the area be for agricultural
use. This represents a longstanding community desire to see
this area remain agricultural in character. The proposed use
is expressly listed in the current Comprehensive Plan as a
characteristic and desirable use in this area.
(4) The conservation of property values throughout the
jurisdiction[:] The Commission finds that the proposal does
conserve property values….
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(5) Responsible development and growth[:] The Commission
finds that the proposal does represent responsible
development and growth. The area under consideration is an
integral part of the historically rural agricultural west side of
Hendricks County. The last three Comprehensive Plans have
recognized this part of the County as being characteristically
agricultural and have reserved the area for agricultural uses in
the future. This reflects the County’s longstanding desire to,
in general, plan for urbanization of its east side while
maintaining the rural character of its agricultural west side.
The proposal under consideration is consistent and
compatible with the County’s long term land use planning
goals.
Appellants’ Appendix Vol. IV at 107-08.
[7] On March 26, 2013, the County Commissioners unanimously approved the
rezoning and adopted the Plan Commission’s findings. After the property was
rezoned, it was transferred from Samuel to 4/9 Livestock. The Plaintiffs did
not appeal the rezoning decision. Thereafter, before improvement location
permits were granted, the Plan Commission held two public hearings regarding
the siting, design, and construction plans for the Farm’s CAFO, which included
the construction of two 4000-hog production buildings. Additionally, in May
2013, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)
approved two permits to construct and operate the CAFO buildings on the
Farm. The Plaintiffs did not appeal IDEM’s permit approvals.
[8] On July 1, 2013, 4/9 Livestock entered into a hog finishing contract with Co-
Alliance. Under the contract, Co-Alliance would supply the hogs and 4/9
Livestock would raise them. 4/9 Livestock was to operate as an independent
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 18A-PL-645 | April 22, 2019 Page 6 of 28
contractor. Once fully grown, which was within about six months, the hogs
would be shipped out of the CAFO by Co-Alliance and a new batch of young
hogs would come into the CAFO. On July 19, 2013, 4/9 Livestock and PNC
Bank entered into a convertible line of credit note for a seven-figure amount to
finance the construction of the CAFO. Shortly after construction was
completed, the CAFO buildings were populated with hogs on October 2, 2013.
Since the CAFO began operating there have been no violations cited by either
IDEM or Hendricks County relating to its operation.
[9] The Plaintiffs live in the immediate vicinity of the Farm. Richard and Janet
Himsel (collectively, the Himsel Plaintiffs) moved into their home in 1994.
Their home is on a farm where the Himsel Plaintiffs raised livestock and grew
crops until 2000, when they retired and sold much of their farmland. Richard
grew up on this farm, and the farmhouse has stood since 1926. Robert Lannon
built his home in 1971 and married his wife Susan in 1974. They have never
farmed on their property but are accustomed to the usual smells that come with
living in farm country, having lived there for over forty years.
[10] The Farm and the Plaintiffs’ properties are located in western Hendricks
County in an area that the county’s Board of Commissioners has expressly
designated for agricultural purposes since the adoption of the county’s first
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 18A-PL-645 | April 22, 2019 Page 7 of 28
comprehensive plan in 1983. 2 The nearest town is over five miles away, and
the nearest residential subdivision is about two miles away.
[11] Agricultural uses have dominated in the area surrounding the Farm and the
Plaintiffs’ properties. In addition to row crops, those uses have included raising
livestock such as cattle, hogs, chicken, goats, and sheep. In fact, Richard
Himsel and his father raised livestock, including 200 head of hogs and 200 head
of cattle at a time, in the area directly adjacent to their home for years. For
about two years, Richard had a confinement building on his property,
approximately 700 feet from his home, that held up to 400 head of hogs. This
building was destroyed by fire and not rebuilt. Another farmer, John Hardin,
has a hog confined feeding operation located near the Plaintiffs’ properties.
Hardin has been operating his hog farm for many years and periodically applies
hog manure to fields as close as twenty feet from the Himsel Plaintiffs’ home.
[12] On October 6, 2015, the Plaintiffs filed the instant action raising claims of
nuisance, negligence, and trespass against the Defendants and seeking a
declaratory judgment that the Agricultural Canon is facially unconstitutional.
The Defendants’ answer raised the RTFA as an affirmative defense. The State
of Indiana intervened to defend the constitutionality of the challenged statute.
2
Similar plans were adopted in 1998 and 2008. Notably, the AGI zoning district was not created until the
2008 comprehensive plan. The AGI district “serves to provide adequate and appropriate locations for intense
agricultural uses such as CAFO’s [sic] or agricultural businesses that may emit intense odors, vibrations, air
pollution, or other disruptions.” Appellants’ Appendix Vol. VIII at 22.
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Thereafter, the Plaintiffs amended their complaint to add as-applied
constitutional challenges to application of the RTFA as a defense in this case.
[13] The Defendants moved for summary judgment with respect to all claims in
November 2016, and the Plaintiffs then filed a motion for summary judgment
on the constitutionality of the RTFA and the Agricultural Canon. The motions
were extensively briefed and supported by a significant amount of designated
evidence. On September 27, 2017, the trial court held a summary judgment
hearing regarding both motions.
[14] On October 24, 2017, the trial court entered a summary judgment order with
extensive findings and conclusions. The court granted summary judgment in
favor of the Individual Himsel Defendants but otherwise denied the summary
judgment motions. Thereafter, on November 22, 2017, the Defendants filed a
motion to correct error. Briefs in support of the motion were filed by putative
amici IALF and Hendricks County. The trial court granted the amici’s motions
for leave to appear. Thereafter, on December 21, 2017, the Plaintiffs filed their
response to the motion to correct error and asserted cross-error regarding the
grant of summary judgment to the Individual Himsel Defendants.
[15] The trial court held a hearing on the motion to correct error on January 24,
2018. Four days later, the trial court issued an order granting the motion to
correct error, amending its prior conclusions, and granting summary judgment
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 18A-PL-645 | April 22, 2019 Page 9 of 28
in favor of the Defendants on all claims. The Plaintiffs now appeal. 3
Additional information will be provided below as needed.
Standard of Review
[16] Summary judgment orders are reviewed de novo on appeal, and we apply the
same standard of review as the trial court. Knighten v. E. Chicago Hous. Auth., 45
N.E.3d 788, 791 (Ind. 2015). The moving party must show there are no
genuine issues of material fact and it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
Id. In deciding whether summary judgment is proper, we consider only the
designated evidence and construe all factual inferences in favor of the non-
moving party. Id.
Discussion & Decision
Application of the RTFA
[17] The Plaintiffs’ complaint alleges that their use and enjoyment of their homes, as
well as their homes’ values, were ruined by noxious odors and airborne
emissions coming from the CAFO. The RTFA, however, limits the
circumstances under which agricultural operations 4 may be subject to nuisance
claims. See I.C. § 32-30-6-9(d). The Defendants argue that the RTFA bars
3
Several amici curiae briefs have been filed in support of the Defendants and the State as intervenor. Amici
include the IALF, Indiana Pork Producers Association, Inc., Hendricks County, and the Indiana Bankers
Association.
4
I.C. § 32-30-6-1 defines “agricultural operation” to include “any facility used for the production of crops,
livestock, poultry, livestock products, poultry products, or horticultural products or for growing timber.”
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Plaintiffs’ nuisance claim, as well as their other related claims. The material
facts in this case are not in dispute. Rather, the disagreement centers on the
legal effect of the facts and interpretation of subsection (d)(2) of the RTFA.
[18] The RTFA, I.C. § 32-30-6-9, provides in relevant part:
(a) This section does not apply if a nuisance results from the
negligent operation of an agricultural … operation….
(b) The general assembly declares that it is the policy of the state
to conserve, protect, and encourage the development and
improvement of its agricultural land for the production of food
and other agricultural products. The general assembly finds that
when nonagricultural land uses extend into agricultural areas,
agricultural operations often become the subject of nuisance
suits. As a result, agricultural operations are sometimes forced to
cease operations, and many persons may be discouraged from
making investments in farm improvements. It is the purpose of
this section to reduce the loss to the state of its agricultural
resources by limiting the circumstances under which agricultural
operations may be deemed to be a nuisance.
***
(d) An agricultural or industrial operation … is not and does not
become a nuisance … by any changed conditions in the vicinity
of the locality after the agricultural … operation … has been in
operation continuously on the locality for more than one (1) year
if the following conditions exist:
(1) There is no significant change in the type of operation.
A significant change in the type of agricultural operation
does not include the following:
(A) The conversion from one type of agricultural
operation to another type of agricultural operation.
(B) A change in the ownership or size of the
agricultural operation.
….
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(D) Adoption of new technology by the agricultural
operation.
(2) The operation would not have been a nuisance at the
time the agricultural … operation began on that locality.
The Plaintiffs concede that the agricultural operation here has been in operation
continuously for more than one year. Indeed, the record establishes that the
farmland in question has been actively farmed for decades. The Plaintiffs also
acknowledge that no significant change has occurred in the type of the
agricultural operation at the Farm, as strictly defined under subsection (d)(1) of
the RTFA. 5 See Parker v. Obert’s Legacy Dairy, LLC, 988 N.E.2d 319, 324 (Ind.
Ct. App. 2013) (holding that cropland-to-CAFO conversion is not a significant
change under the RTFA).
[19] The Plaintiffs contend that the RTFA is not a bar to their nuisance action,
however, because the CAFO would have been a nuisance when farming
originally began on the Farm. In other words, the Plaintiffs rely upon
subsection (d)(2) of the RTFA, which requires that “[t]he operation would not
have been a nuisance at the time the agricultural … operation began on that
locality.”
5
Prior to an amendment to its current form in 2005, the RTFA required no significant change in the hours
and type of operation. In addition to removing the no-significant-change-in-hours condition, the amendment
set out a list of changes that do not amount to a significant change in the type of operation, including a change
in the type of agricultural operation (i.e., changing from crops to livestock), a change of ownership or size of
the operation, and the adoption of new technology. In light of the amendment, it is difficult to imagine what
would constitute a significant change in the type of operation.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 18A-PL-645 | April 22, 2019 Page 12 of 28
[20] Contrary to the Plaintiffs’ suggestion on appeal, we need not determine
precisely when farming originally began on the Farm. The designated evidence
establishes that the land had been used for row crops since at least 1941. 6
Further, the record clearly establishes that the Plaintiffs’ non-farming use of
their properties began well after 1941. The Lannons built their non-farming
residence in 1971, and the Himsel Plaintiffs began using their home as a non-
farming residence in 2000 after deciding to retire and sell most of their acreage.
[21] “The [RTFA], by its plain terms, was intended to prohibit nonarigultural land
uses from being the basis of a nuisance suit against an established agricultural
operation.” TDM Farms, Inc. of North Carolina v. Wilhoite Family Farm, LLC, 969
N.E.2d 97, 111 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012). It is essentially a codification of the
doctrine of coming to the nuisance. Id. at 110; see also Shatto v. McNulty, 509
N.E.2d 897, 900 (Ind. Ct. App. 1987) (“People may not move to an established
agricultural area and then maintain an action for nuisance against farmers
because their senses are offended by the ordinary smells and activities which
accompany agricultural pursuits.”). 7
6
During his deposition, Richard Himsel testified that the Farm had been used for farming his entire life and
that prior to the CAFO the land had been used for “rotating crops, corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, probably had
a year or two of hay in it when old Bill Wilder had it.” Appellants’ Appendix Vol. III at 191.
7
Applying the original version of the RTFA from 1981 (Ind. Code § 34-1-52-4), this court observed: “[P]ork
production generates odors which cannot be prevented, and so long as the human race consumes pork,
someone must tolerate the smell. [The RTFA] addresses that fundamental fact and protects pork production
when it is confined to its natural habitat, that is, rural farm communities such as Jennings County.” Shatto,
509 N.E.2d at 900.
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[22] This is not a case where the Plaintiffs moved to the nuisance as that expression
is typically understood. Indeed, the Farm did not change from crop farming to
pig farming until well after the Lannons built their home and the Himsel
Plaintiffs moved into theirs. Prior to the 2005 amendment to the RTFA, this
would have constituted a significant change in the agricultural operation
making the RTFA inapplicable. See Wendt v. Kerkhof, 594 N.E.2d 795, 798
(Ind. Ct. App. 1992) (farm changed from decades of grain farming to hog
farming five years after plaintiffs became adjacent landowners), trans. denied. As
noted above, however, the Plaintiffs acknowledge that in light of the 2005
amendment, the change in the agricultural operation here from crops to hogs
did not constitute a significant change in the type of operation. See Parker, 988
N.E.2d at 324 (“By specifying that a conversion from one agricultural operation
to another is not a significant change, the Act removes claims against existing
farm operations that later undergo a transition from one type of agriculture to
another.”). Thus, the coming to the nuisance doctrine, as applied by the
RTFA, now encompasses coming to the potential future nuisance.
[23] Agricultural uses have dominated the landscape surrounding the Plaintiffs’
properties, with a number of farmers in the area owning or having owned
livestock. Richard Himsel, prior to retiring from farming, even had livestock on
his property. The county’s Plan Commission and County Commissioners
recognized the well-established, longstanding agricultural community in which
the Farm was situated and indicated the county’s ongoing desire to maintain
the rural character of Hendricks County’s agricultural west side. Further, the
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Comprehensive Plan for the area in question expressly lists CAFOs as a
recommended land use.
[24] Robert Lannon knowingly built his residential home in the middle of farm
country, and the Himsel Plaintiffs lived and farmed on their property for a
number of years before selling off much of their land and changing the use of
their home to purely residential. None of the Plaintiffs can now be heard to
complain that their residential use of their property is being negatively impacted
because the use of the Farm changed from crops to hogs, a use that would not
have been a nuisance in or around 1941 when the agricultural operation began
on the locality.
[25] The Plaintiffs contend that applying the RTFA in this manner will “have the
extraordinary effect of removing any evidentiary burden by allowing CAFOs of
any size to be built anywhere there is any history of agricultural activity.”
Appellants’ Brief at 27 (emphases in original). We are not so sure. Moreover, we
observe that requiring a defendant farmer to establish that his or her particular
CAFO (rather than hog farming or CAFOs generally) would not have been a
nuisance when the agricultural operation began on the locality would eviscerate
the protections of the RTFA.
[26] The Plaintiffs’ argument also ignores the significant local and administrative
hurdles a farmer must overcome before being allowed to build a CAFO. In this
case, after a number of public hearings and notices to adjoining landowners, the
Defendants obtained rezoning of the Farm and building permits from the
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county approving the specific siting, design, and construction plans for the
CAFO’s two buildings. The Plaintiffs did not seek judicial review of these
decisions by county officials. The Defendants also applied for permits from
IDEM for the construction and operation of the CAFO. The Plaintiffs did not
appeal issuance of these permits. The Plaintiffs were provided ample due
process to challenge the size and/or placement of the CAFO buildings on the
Farm, yet they decided instead to wait and file a nuisance action more than two
years later. In light of the RTFA, they put their eggs in the wrong basket. Their
general nuisance claim fails as a matter of law.
[27] The RTFA provides an exception where an alleged nuisance results from the
negligent operation of the agricultural operation or its appurtenances. See I.C. §
32-30-6-9(a). The designated evidence provides no indication that the CAFO
has been negligently operated by 4/9 Livestock or has violated IDEM
regulations. See Lindsey v. DeGroot, 898 N.E.2d 1251, 1260-62 (Ind. Ct. App.
2009) (addressing alleged operational negligence based on violations of IDEM
regulations and concluding, on summary judgment, that the violations were not
the proximate cause of the alleged injury); see also Dalzell v. Country View Family
Farms, LLC, 517 F. App’x 518, 520 (7th Cir. 2013) (“Unless the nuisance
‘results from’ the negligence, and not just from the agricultural operation, the
Act applies and defeats plaintiffs’ claim.”). Further, we agree with the
Defendants and amici that the Plaintiffs’ claim of negligent siting (i.e., the
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decision to build and operate a CAFO at a particular location) 8 cannot
constitute negligent operation under the RTFA. If allowed, it would simply
create an end run around the protections of the RTFA.
[28] The Plaintiffs also brought a trespass claim purportedly based on “the unlawful
physical intrusion of the CAFO’s noxious emissions into their properties and
homes.” Appellants’ Brief at 39. They allege that the emissions – “animal waste,
air pollutants, harmful gases, and noxious odors” – are chemical compounds
that result in a physical, space-filling invasion into their homes. Appellants’
Appendix Vol. III at 10. Despite artful pleading, we observe that application of
the RTFA does not turn on labels. The trial court properly concluded that the
Plaintiffs’ trespass claim is barred by the RTFA. See Ehler v. LVDVD, L.C., 319
S.W.3d 817, 824 (Tex. Ct. App. 2010) (“Permitting the [plaintiffs] to avoid the
application of [the Texas RTFA] by pleading a nuisance action as a trespass
would eviscerate the statute and deny [the defendants] the protection intended
by the Legislature when it passed the Right to Farm Act.”).
Constitutional Claims
[29] The Plaintiffs contend that the RTFA is unconstitutional as applied to them
because it violates the Open Courts Clause, the Takings Clause, and the Equal
8
The Plaintiffs assert that “the CAFO Operators negligently sited, designed and built their 8,000-hog CAFO
in an inappropriate location” and have continued to operate the CAFO “despite the now unmistakable effect
on their neighbors”. Appellants’ Brief at 34. They claim that the Defendants had a duty to take reasonable
care to “keep emissions of their CAFO from injuring their neighbors.” Id. at 35. We reject the Plaintiffs’
attempt to repackage their nuisance claim to avoid the effects of the RTFA.
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Privileges and Immunities Clause of the Indiana Constitution, as well as the
federal Takings Clause. In sum, they assert that application of the RTFA has
deprived them of their ability to enforce their long-vested property rights in their
homes. The Plaintiffs also assert a facial challenge to the Agricultural Canon.
[30] We review the constitutionality of a statute de novo. See Tyson v. State, 51
N.E.3d 88, 90 (Ind. 2016). Statutes come before us “clothed with the
presumption of constitutionality until clearly overcome by a contrary showing.”
Zoeller v. Sweeney, 19 N.E.3d 749, 751 (Ind. 2014). “The party challenging the
constitutionality of a statute bears the burden of proof, and all doubts are
resolved against that party and in favor of the legislature.” Id.
Open Courts Clause
[31] The Plaintiffs first contend that the RTFA violates the Open Courts Clause,
Article 1, Section 12 of the Indiana Constitution, which provides in relevant
part: “All courts shall be open; and every person, for injury done to him in his
person, property, or reputation, shall have remedy by due course of law.” Our
Supreme Court has made clear that this clause “does not prohibit all conditions
on access to the courts, but it does prevent the legislature from arbitrarily or
unreasonably denying access to the courts.” KS&E Sports v. Runnels, 72 N.E.3d
892, 905 (Ind. 2017).
The right of access presupposes an underlying cause of action to
which the right of access attaches and for which the law affords a
remedy. The legislature has wide latitude in defining the
existence and scope of a cause of action and in prescribing the
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available remedy. In McIntosh v. Melroe Co., 729 N.E.2d 972 (Ind.
2000), we reaffirmed the legislature’s longstanding prerogative
“to modify or abrogate the common law.” Id. at 977 (citations
omitted). An important corollary is that “[i]f the law provides no
remedy, [Article 1,] Section 12 does not require that there be
one.” Id. at 979.
Id. at 906.
[32] The Plaintiffs assert that they have a vested right to use and enjoy their property
and that the RTFA has been unconstitutionally applied to deny their access to
the courts to enforce that right. This argument misses the mark. The Open
Courts Clause does not require the substantive law to provide a remedy, and
individuals have no vested or property right in any rule of common law. 9
McIntosh, 729 N.E.2d at 978. Accordingly, “the General Assembly can make
substantial changes to the existing law without infringing on citizen rights.” Id.
[33] Here, the legislature has exercised its broad discretion and modified the
substantive law of nuisance by eliminating a nuisance cause of action against
agricultural operations except where the alleged nuisance is the result of
negligent operation or where the conditions of I.C. § 32-30-6-9(d) are not met.
9
The Plaintiffs curiously direct us to Martin v. Richey, 711 N.E.2d 1273 (Ind. 1999), to support their claim
that they have a vested right to pursue a nuisance claim to protect their properties. Martin, however, is
inapposite. In that case, the Supreme Court observed, “it cannot be questioned that, had plaintiff filed her
medical malpractice claim within the two-year period, she could have pursued her otherwise valid tort
claim.” Id. at 1283. In this case, however, the Plaintiffs never had a valid tort claim because the facts
underlying their nuisance claim occurred well after the RTFA went into effect and barred such a claim.
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The RTFA is rational and falls comfortably within the legislature’s legitimate
constitutional authority.
Takings Clauses
[34] Article 1, Section 21 of the Indiana Constitution provides in part: “No person’s
property shall be taken by law, without just compensation; nor, except in case
of the State, without such compensation first assessed and tendered.” The Fifth
Amendment to the United States Constitution, applicable to the states through
the Fourteenth Amendment, includes the same proscription against the taking
of property without just compensation. Lindsey, 898 N.E.2d at 1257-58. We
construe and analyze the “textually indistinguishable” takings clauses
identically. See Redington v. State, 992 N.E.2d 823, 835 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013),
trans. denied; see also State v. Kimco of Evansville, Inc., 902 N.E.2d 206, 211-12
(Ind. 2009) (“our state constitutional takings analysis is the same as federal
constitutional eminent domain law”), cert. denied.
[35] “To be a taking in the constitutional sense, the state action at issue must be
more than a consequential limitation on the use or enjoyment of property; a
taking involves an actual interference with a property right.” Lindsey, 898
N.E.2d at 1258 (rejecting plaintiffs’ argument that the RTFA amounts to an
unconstitutional taking because the act essentially awarded the defendant a
nuisance easement over their property). In this case, the Plaintiffs assert a
regulatory takings claim, as they acknowledge that there has been no direct
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 18A-PL-645 | April 22, 2019 Page 20 of 28
seizure of their property. 10 Regulation, however, effects a taking only where it
“deprives an owner of all or substantially all economic or productive use of his
or her property.” Biddle v. BAA Indianapolis, LLC, 860 N.E.2d 570, 577 (Ind.
2007) (citing Lingle v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc., 544 U.S. 528, 538-40 (2005)); see also
Lingle, 544 U.S. at 539 (“our regulatory takings jurisprudence…aims to identify
regulatory actions that are functionally equivalent to the classic taking in which
government directly appropriates private property or outs the owner from his
domain”). “Factors considered under the foregoing test include the economic
impact of the regulation on the property owner, the extent to which the
regulation has interfered with distinct investment-backed expectations, and the
character of the government action.” Kimco, 902 N.E.2d at 211 (citing Penn
Cent. Transp. Co. v. New York City, 438 U.S. 104, 124 (1978)).
[36] The State, as intervenor, asserts that a constitutional taking occurs only where
the government, as opposed to a private party, directly or proximately causes
the interference with the claimant’s property. The State argues further that the
Plaintiffs have no property interest in a particular cause of action or remedy.
We find the State’s argument compelling, but we need not make a
determination in this regard because, even considering the regulatory takings
factors, the Plaintiffs lose.
10
The Plaintiffs’ reliance on Arkansas Game & Fish Comm’n v. U.S., 568 U.S. 23 (2012), and other similar
flooding cases, is misguided and improperly conflates physical takings with regulatory takings. See id.
(addressing recurrent government-induced flooding invasions and holding that such temporary physical
occupations can constitute a compensable taking of property).
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[37] In Biddle, homeowners near the Indianapolis International Airport (owned by a
municipal corporation) claimed that airplanes flying over their homes
constituted a regulatory taking because the noise disturbed the use and
enjoyment of their properties “by disrupting activities such as sleeping, talking,
watching television or listening to the radio, hosting outdoor parties, reading,
and opening windows.” 860 N.E.2d at 573. Additionally, the homeowners
claimed that their property values had decreased up to thirty-three percent. Our
Supreme Court affirmed the grant of summary judgment in favor of the airport.
In concluding as a matter of law that the aircraft noise had not effected a taking,
the Court acknowledged that the noise was “no doubt considerable” but found
that it did not “amount to a ‘practical destruction’ or ‘substantial impairment’
of Homeowners’ use of their property.” Id. at 580. The Court continued,
“Homeowners still make many valuable uses of their properties in spite of the
noise.” Id.
[38] Similarly, here, the Plaintiffs have not been deprived of all or substantially all
economic or productive use of their properties. The designated evidence reveals
that the Plaintiffs’ properties have retained significant economic value. Indeed,
their own expert valued the Lannons’ property at $51,500 (at an estimated 60%
loss in value) and the Himsel Plaintiffs’ property at $181,2000 (at an estimated
49.5% loss in value) with the CAFO nearby. Cf. Penn. Cent., 438 U.S. at 131
(with respect to land-use regulations, reasonably related to the promotion of the
general welfare, diminution in property value, standing alone, does not
establish a taking); Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365 (1926) (75%
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diminution in value caused by zoning law not found to be a taking). Moreover,
they continue to reside in their residences, making valuable use of their
properties, and have alleged no distinct, investment-backed expectations that
have been frustrated by the CAFO. Finally, with respect to the character of the
governmental action, we do not agree with the Plaintiffs that the RTFA has
permitted a physical invasion of their property. While their property rights are
clearly affected by application of the RTFA, the Plaintiffs cannot dispute that
the regulation is reasonably related to the promotion of the common good. In
sum, we conclude that the odorous emissions from 4/9 Livestock’s CAFO do
not effect a taking.
Privileges and Immunities Clause
[39] Article 1, Section 23 of the Indiana Constitution provides: “The General
Assembly shall not grant to any citizen, or class of citizens, privileges or
immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all
citizens.” Our Supreme Court has set out a two-part standard for determining a
statute’s validity where the statute grants unequal privileges or immunities to
differing classes of persons.
First, the disparate treatment accorded by the legislation must be
reasonably related to inherent characteristics which distinguish
the unequally treated classes. Second, the preferential treatment
must be uniformly applicable and equally available to all persons
similarly situated. Finally, in determining whether a statute
complies with or violates Section 23, courts must exercise
substantial deference to legislative discretion.
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Collins v. Day, 644 N.E.2d 72, 80 (Ind. 1994); see also Whistle Stop Inn, Inc. v. City
of Indianapolis, 51 N.E.3d 195, 198 (Ind. 2016). Presuming the statute to be
constitutional, we place the burden on the challenger to “negative every
conceivable basis which might have supported the classification.” Collins, 644
N.E.2d at 80. Classification under Section 23 is primarily a legislative question,
and it becomes a judicial question only where the lines drawn by the legislature
appear arbitrary or manifestly unreasonable. Id.
[40] The Plaintiffs assert that the RTFA splits county dwellers into two camps: (1)
those currently engaged in agricultural operations on land that has been
consistently farmed for at least the last year and (2) all others who live in the
county. Those in the first group may sue those in either group for nuisance,
while those in the second group may only sue those in their own non-farming
group for nuisance.
[41] Indeed, the RTFA affords preferential treatment to farmers, under certain
statutory conditions, by conferring immunity from nuisance suits that are not
based on operational negligence. 11 The RTFA, itself, explains the policy behind
this disparate treatment:
The general assembly declares that it is the policy of the state to
conserve, protect, and encourage the development and
improvement of its agricultural land for the production of food
11
While the Act also applies to protect industrial operations from nuisance suits, it provides broader
immunity to agricultural operations. See I.C. § 32-30-6-9(d)(1) (providing a list of changes that, for
agricultural operations, do not constitute a significant change in the type of operation).
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and other agricultural products. The general assembly finds that
when nonagricultural land uses extend into agricultural areas,
agricultural operations often become the subject of nuisance
suits. As a result, agricultural operations are sometimes forced to
cease operations, and many persons may be discouraged from
making investments in farm improvements. It is the purpose of
this section to reduce the loss to the state of its agricultural
resources by limiting the circumstances under which agricultural
operations may be deemed to be a nuisance.
I.C. § 32-30-6-9(b). This rationale provides a reasonable basis for treating
farmers differently than their non-farming neighbors. 12 Cf. KS&E Sports, 72
N.E.3d at 906-07 (“One explanation may be that the legislature … perceived
that recent lawsuits against the firearms industry threatened its stability and
jeopardized the continued availability of firearms even to law-abiding citizens
wishing to exercise their Second Amendment. This rationale would provide a
reasonable basis for treating sellers of firearms, which face such litigation
threats, differently than sellers of knives, which do not.”). With respect to the
second prong of the Collins test, we conclude that the RTFA’s preferential
treatment is uniformly and equally available to all agricultural operations and
although agricultural operations are treated differently under the RTFA than
12
The Plaintiffs note prior cases in which we have held that the RTFA does not apply between two farmers.
See TDM Farms, 969 N.E.2d at 110 (“the Act does not apply in this action between two established farming
operations”); Stickdorn v. Zook, 957 N.E.2d 1014, 1016 n.5 (Ind. Ct. App. 2011) (the RTFA “has no
applicability to the manner in which two farmers…conduct their operations). The Plaintiffs claim that the
Himsel Plaintiffs could have brought this action if only they had not retired from farming in 2000 and that
this fact makes the disparate treatment arbitrary. This is incorrect. The RTFA still applies where one farmer
asserts nonagricultural land uses as the basis of his or her nuisance suit against another farmer. See Parker,
988 N.E.2d at 323.
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industrial operations, the two are not similarly situated and the express intent of
the RTFA is to protect agricultural land. The RTFA does not violate Article 1,
Section 23.
Constitutional Challenge to the Agricultural Canon
[42] The Agricultural Canon, enacted in 2014, provides:
The general assembly declares that it is the policy of the state to
conserve, protect, and encourage the development and
improvement of agriculture, agricultural businesses, and
agricultural land for the production of food, fuel, fiber, and other
agricultural products. The Indiana Code shall be construed to
protect the rights of farmers to choose among all generally
accepted farming and livestock production practices, including
the use of ever changing technology.
I.C. § 15-11-2-6(a). The Plaintiffs contend that the Agricultural Canon is
unconstitutional for various reasons.
[43] The Agricultural Canon is a rule of statutory construction signaling the
legislature’s intent to courts called upon to construe ambiguous statutes
affecting farmers. In other words, where a statute is clear and unambiguous,
the Agricultural Canon will not be applied. Cf. Crowel v. Marshall Cty. Drainage
Bd., 971 N.E.2d 638, 646 (Ind. 2012) (“where the statute is clear and
unambiguous, we apply it as drafted without resort to the nuanced principles of
statutory interpretation”). Further, our primary goal in applying a statute is
always to ascertain and give effect to the legislature’s intent. See id. at 645.
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[44] Through the RTFA, the legislature spoke clearly and unambiguously regarding
its intent to protect the rights of farmers by limiting the circumstances under
which farmers are subject to nuisance actions. This includes protecting
agricultural operations that change from one type of agricultural operation to
another or that adopt new technology. Given the clear language of the RTFA,
this is not a case in which the Agricultural Canon needs to be applied. See
KS&E Sports, 72 N.E.2d at 898 (“before interpreting a statute, we consider
‘whether the Legislature has spoken clearly and unambiguously on the point in
question’”) (quoting Basileh v. Alghusain, 912 N.E.2d 814, 821 (Ind. 2009)).
Accordingly, we do not address the various constitutional challenges raised by
the Plaintiffs regarding the Agricultural Canon. See Barlow v. Sipes, 744 N.E.2d
1, 6 n.1 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001) (“Indiana has long adhered to the doctrine of
judicial restraint” where “a constitutional question will not be anticipated in
advance of the necessity of deciding the constitutional issue”), trans. denied.
Conclusion
[45] We hold that the Plaintiffs’ nuisance and repackaged negligence and trespass
claims are barred by the RTFA. Further, the Plaintiffs’ various claims that the
RTFA is unconstitutional are unavailing, and we do not reach the question of
the constitutionality of the Agricultural Canon due to judicial restraint. The
trial court properly granted summary judgment in favor of the Defendants on
all claims.
[46] Judgment affirmed.
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Brown, J. and Tavitas, J., concur.
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