Abatti v. Imperial Irrigation Dist.
The court held that, although farmers in the Imperial Irr.
Date Filed: July 16, 2020
Case Name: Abatti v. Imperial Irrigation Dist.
Case Number: D072850
Court: California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One
(‘The Fourth District Court of Appeal holds that, while farmers in the Imperial Irrigation District possess an equitable and beneficial interest in the district’s water rights that gives them a right to water service, they do not have a vested entitlement to historic quantities of water; consequently the district may exercise discretion in apportioning water among user categories, but it abused that discretion in the way the 2013 Equitable Distribution Plan prioritized non‑agricultural users. The court affirms the superior court’s finding of abuse of discretion regarding the plan’s prioritization, dismisses the farmers’ breach‑of‑fiduciary‑duty and taking claims, and vacates the declaratory judgment that forced the district to use a historical‑use allocation method. This decision clarifies the limited nature of farmers’ rights in irrigation‑district water and reinforces the district’s broad authority to modify service in pursuit of equitable distribution.’, ‘9927bf9c’)
This case summary was prepared for educational purposes. For the authoritative version, please refer to the full opinion or the official California Courts website.