Oregon judge refuses to dismiss $1 billion timber class action

[TexasTowelie]

A judge has refused to dismiss a class action lawsuit seeking more than $1 billion from Oregon’s government for insufficient logging of state forestlands.

Linn County filed a complaint in 2016 accusing Oregon’s forest managers of breaching a contract to maximize timber harvests from forests donated to the state by county governments.

According to the lawsuit, Oregon began prioritizing environmental protection and recreational values over logging due to a policy change in 1998.

The lawsuit was certified as a class action by Linn County Circuit Judge Daniel Murphy, which effectively included 14 counties and more than 100 taxing districts as plaintiffs in the case.

Read more: http://www.capitalpress.com/Oregon/20180125/oregon-judge-refuses-to-dismiss-1-billion-timber-class-action