A Cass County judge ruled in an order Tuesday that Hubbard County law enforcement could not block a driveway of a camp involved with the Line 3 protest last summer.
Winona LaDuke was granted a 33-foot easement for a driveway on a parcel of tax-forfeited land by the Hubbard County Board in 2018, as the driveway would be the only way to access the property on Big Buck Trail.
In June of 2021, Sheriff Cory Aukes issued a notice to another plaintiff, Tara Houska, claiming that there was no easement for the current landowner, that the Hubbard County-owned road was not open to vehicular traffic and that it would be barricaded.
Several citations, according to the order, were issued for people attempting to drive on the roadway.
The court issued a temporary restraining order in July 2021 for the Sheriff’s Office and other defendants to not interfere with access to the property.
After months of litigation, Judge Jana Austad approved several orders in favor of the petitioners.
The civil suit did not award attorney’s fees or other compensation to either party.
