Man’s Criticism of Nonprofit Found to Be “Harassment,” Leads to Order Banning Photographing Company’s Directors and Officers

Minnesota’s Court of Appeals upheld a harassment restraining order against former nonprofit member Gerald Fenske, finding the order could protect an organisation as well as an individual. The case matters because the order restricts Fenske’s contact with the Lake Itasca Region Pioneer Farmers, including taking photographs of it without permission.

The dispute followed Fenske’s membership being revoked in 2023. The nonprofit said he made complaints to state agencies, contacted members and published a webpage implying its annual event had been cancelled because of unsafe boiler operation; the district court found the page caused public confusion and that he contacted three board members after receiving a cease-and-desist letter. The order also bars him from coming within 500 feet of the nonprofit’s property, while the appeals court upheld the restrictions challenged in the case.