Miller v. Department of Agriculture

Plaintiff appealed circuit court order affirming Department of Agriculture’s decision denying his claim for compensation from the Grain Code, 240 ILCS 40/1-1. Plaintiff argued the circuit court incorrectly interpreted section 10-15(e) of the Code as triggering the automatic pricing of grain sold under a price later contract, which placed his claim outside the protections of the Code. The appellate court reversed, finding that the Department’s interpretation of subsection (e) conflicted with the unambiguous language of the statute and that pricing is not automatic under section 10-15(e). (DeARMOND and STEIGMANN, concurring).