South Dakota High Court: Insurer Must Pay for Storm-Drowned Cattle

July 22, 2016

The South Dakota Supreme Court says a Quinn family should collect insurance for cattle that drowned during the autumn 2013 blizzard that devastated western South Dakota ranchers.

The high court in an opinion released July 21 ruled that Richard and Lorayna Papousek’s insurance covers 93 yearling heifers that died in the October 2013 storm under a drowning provision.

Family attorney Sarah Baron Houy says “justice has been done.”

A lower court had sided with their insurance company, De Smet Farm Mutual Insurance Company of South Dakota, which argued that none of the cattle were discovered submerged in water.

A veterinarian for the family said that the cattle inhaled rain and snow, which led to their death.

An attorney for the company didn’t immediately return a telephone message requesting comment.

Related:

Topics Carriers Windstorm

Was this article valuable?

Here are more articles you may enjoy.