The South Dakota Supreme Court will listen to oral arguments in nine cases over three days in the University of South Dakota School of Law Courtroom Oct. 2-4.
The Supreme Court will preside over the appeals of several high-profile cases including the Joseph Patterson murder conviction, the McKennan Park Historic District home project, and a case on the limits of First Amendment protected speech. A full schedule and breakdown of each case is below.
Monday, Oct. 2 - 9 a.m. - noon - USD Law School Courtroom
State v. Patterson - Joseph Patterson is convicted of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and aggravated battery of a child. He is serving a life sentence. Patterson is appealing whether the lower court erred in allowing the presentation of other acts to the jury and whether it erred in failing to allow Patterson to present additional instances of alleged child abuse committed by a potential third-party perpetrator.
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v. Parkshill Farms, LLC - Hear arguments related to Parkshill Farms’ appeal of judgment in favor of Montana-Dakota Utilities to determine if the easement of land for transmission lines was for public use.
Jensen v. Menard Inc. - Menard Inc. is appealing issues related to an almost $2.3 million judgment against the company for an incident that left a customer paralyzed.