Tim Thomas is an outdoorsman in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.
He and his late wife, Stephanie, purchased and renovated a cabin on Butler Lake in Susquehanna so they could have a peaceful place for relaxation while Stephanie underwent treatment for cancer. But in summer 2023, a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officer violated that privacy twice, when he entered their property without a warrant to fish for fishing law violations. Both times, the charges the officer brought against Tim were dismissed by a court.
Now, Tim and IJ have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Pennsylvania law that allows Fish and Boat Commission officers to enter private property without a warrant.
Related Case
4th Amendment Project | Open Fields Doctrine | Private Property
Pennsylvania man files federal lawsuit challenging law allowing Fish and Boat Commission to enter property without warrant
A Pennsylvania man is challenging a state law that gives "fish cops" broad power to enter private property without a warrant after an officer repeatedly trespassed at his lakeside cabin.