PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Supreme Court will consider whether to overturn a lower court ruling allowing the state to allow an identical cattle brand to be used by two ranchers.
The court agreed Tuesday to hear an appeal from Eloy rancher David Stambaugh of an August ruling siding with the state. The 49-year-old has owned the Bar 7 brand since he was 10 years old.
Stambaugh objected when the state Agriculture Department allowed a California cattle company that bought land in Arizona to use the identical brand on its cattle.
Two appeals court judges said the department had discretion to issue the brand. One judge said registering identical brands wasn’t legal.
Stambaugh says leaving the lower court ruling in place will be lead to confusion and questions about ownership.
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