Economic Freedom

WILL proudly fights for the right to earn a living free from government interference

Concluded Cases

BCTA V. BROWN COUNTY

State law permits counties to impose a 0.5% sales tax, but requires that tax to be used only for “directly reducing the property tax levy.” Brown County imposed a sales tax, but is instead using the proceeds to fund new spending. We sued to have the tax struck down.

WILL Warns DATCP Against Regulating New Pool Sharing Start-Up

WILL issued a letter to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) warning the state agency that any attempt to enforce certain regulatory restrictions on the start-up Swimply, a growing online platform that allows homeowners to make their underutilized residential swimming pools available for rent, would be a violation of state law.

BLACK V. CITY OF LAKE GENEVA

The City of Lake Geneva promulgated an ordinance that allows the city to search the homes of residents who occasionally rent their home for periods of less than 29 days at virtually any time without a warrant or, alternatively, to fine them if they refuse to consent to a warrantless search. These requirements violate the Fourth Amendment rights of Lake Geneva residents, including the Plaintiffs. We filed this suit to vindicate those rights.

OPERATING ENGINEERS V. DALEY

Unions filed another Act 10 lawsuit in 2019, arguing that the law was unconstitutional because unions have a constitutional right to collectively bargain. We intervened on behalf of a teacher who objects to being forced to pay union dues to defend the law.

VWF V. EAU CLAIRE (TID 12)

To create a TIF district, a city must show that it will spur development that otherwise wouldn’t occur – that new development wouldn’t exist “but for” the creation of the TIF district. Eau Claire claimed that an already-finished building somehow wouldn’t be built without a new TIF district, and we sued to stop that abuse.

FARMVIEW EVENT BARN V. EVERS

If you rent your space out and your guests bring their own alcohol to drink, should you have to get a liquor license? We don’t think so, and interpreting the law that way puts wedding barns and similar venues at risk, so we sued to get the question cleared up.