The legal dispute regarding a California 4-H member and her goat project at the Shasta County Fair has come to a settlement after more than two years of ongoing litigation.
In June 2022, a 9-year-old member of the Cow Creek 4-H Club exhibited her market goat project at the fair but decided shortly ahead of the junior livestock auction to withdraw the goat from sale. However, because the Shasta County Junior Livestock Auction is a terminal sale, the goat’s withdrawal was not allowed. Following the auction, the 4-H member’s mother removed the goat from the fairgrounds and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department recovered the animal, with the goat eventually heading to slaughter. The mother sued on behalf of her daughter against the fair staff and the sheriff’s department, which led to countersuits.
On Sept. 24, the plaintiffs filed a motion to propose a settlement, which was approved on Nov. 1. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted a settlement of $300,000, with $65,000 allocated to the junior member in a trust fund, $35,000 for attorneys’ fees and the remaining $200,000 to the mother, which will also cover any additional attorneys’ fees.
