Iowa Arboretum, Inc. v. Iowa 4-H Foundation

by
Iowa Arboretum, Inc. and Iowa 4-H Foundation entered into a ninety-nine-year lease agreement for a tract of land owned by the Foundation. The majority of the land is used by the Arboretum as an arboretum. The Foundation served the Arboretum with a notice of termination of tenancy, asserting that the land is agricultural for purposes of Iowa Const. art. I, 24, and that the lease violates the constitutional proscription on agricultural leases exceeding a term of twenty years. In response, the Arboretum filed a petition for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief to establish the validity of the lease. The district court granted declaratory relief to the Arboretum and declared the lease valid, determining that the subject land was not agricultural. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the land at issue is not agricultural land for purses of Iowa Const. art. I, 24, and therefore, the lease is valid and enforceable. View "Iowa Arboretum, Inc. v. Iowa 4-H Foundation" on Justia Law