Bedkes file suit for '07 cattle seizure

Three Oakley residents are suing the federal government and Cassia County officials for allegedly violating their constitutional rights by seizing 31 head of cattle and selling them at auction in 2007. The lawsuit was filed Aug. 20 in U.S. District Court by Jared K. Bedke, Bruce Byron Bedke and Martha Jean Bedke, who live in the Oakley Basin, against the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Brand Inspector, various Cassia County and sheriff’s office employees, along with other defendants. The Bedkes are seeking $1.5 million in actual and punitive damages along with their costs and fees, according to district court records. The suit claims that BLM unfairly managed the Goose Creek Group Allotment, south of Oakley, where the Bedkes and other ranchers grazed livestock. It charges that BLM allegedly exceeded its authority when it divided the range into private allotments. The plaintiffs claim that created the hardship of moving their cattle 20 miles instead of the usual two miles. Court records say Bruce Bedke refused to sign a new contract requiring him to maintain the fences surrounding his portion of the allotment and bear the entire cost. The lawsuit claims that although a group of ranchers enlisted BLM in 1963 to mediate the division of rangeland, it was not public land. According to the complaint the Bedkes allege there was no court order or warrant issued allowing the seizure of the cattle. They say they met with the Cassia County sheriff to request he protect their private property rights. The Bedkes also asked a Cassia County district judge to grant a temporary restraining order, which was denied...read more