Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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A Santa Barbara County winery is suing after being required to pay a fee and join a private trade association, with no option to opt out.

Since April 2025, Flying Goat Cellars has paid 1% of its direct-to-consumer sales to fund the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association, a group its owners no longer choose to be part of. Under the current county rule, there's no way to opt out of either the payment or the membership.

Owners Kate Griffith and Norman Yost say the outcome could matter well beyond wine, and Goldwater Institute attorney Adam Shelton is representing them in the federal lawsuit now underway.

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