I recently had an opportunity to sit down with three Napa Valley vintners to discuss several law suits which have been in the news.

Lindsay Hoopes founded her winery in Yountville in 1983.

Heather Brakesman Griffin’s family founded Summit Lake Vineyards on top of Howell Mountain in 1971.

Stu Smith founded Smith-Madrone on top of Spring Mountain in 1971.

In 2022 Napa County sued Lindsay Hoopes, alleging violations of her use permit. This lawsuit has not yet been resolved. Lindsay, who is an attorney and teaches law at UC Law, believes her “small winery exemption” is her legitimate reason to operate.

In the fall of 2024, Lindsay, Heather and Stu joined together to sue Napa County in federal court, in San Francisco, claiming that Napa County’s regulatory overreach has threatened their constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and restraint of trade.

Today the vintners talk about the two cases and explain the unusual situation where a local government is seemingly trying to put long-time small wineries out of business.

Each lawsuit has a website which is home to lots of information and ways to support the vintners: http://saveoursmallwineries.org/ and https://napawinerieslawsuit.org/

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