No. 23-1939 ___________________________

Cleo Watkins; Pyles Family Farms LLC; Victor Hutcheson, originally named as Victor Hutcherson; Alvella Hutcheson, originally named as Alvella Hutcherson; Helen Knight, as Trustee of Helen Mae Knight Trust, also known as Helen Mae Knight; Michael Watkins; Betty Watkins; George Carney; Brenda Watkins

lllllllllllllllllllllPlaintiffs - Appellees

v.

Lawrence County, Arkansas; John Thomison, in his official capacity as County Judge of Lawrence County Arkansas; William Powell, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Donald Richey, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Lloyd Clark, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Heath Davis, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Ernest Briner, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Ronald Ingram, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Tracy Moore; Kenny Jones, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Alex Latham, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court

lllllllllllllllllllllDefendants - Appellants ___________________________

No. 23-2110 ___________________________ Cleo Watkins; Pyles Family Farms LLC; Victor Hutcheson, originally named as Victor Hutcherson; Alvella Hutcheson, originally named as Alvella Hutcherson; Helen Knight, as Trustee of Helen Mae Knight Trust, also known as Helen Mae Knight; Michael Watkins; Betty Watkins; George Carney; Brenda Watkins

lllllllllllllllllllllPlaintiffs - Appellants

v.

Lawrence County, Arkansas; John Thomison, in his official capacity as County Judge of Lawrence County Arkansas; William Powell, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Donald Richey, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Lloyd Clark, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Heath Davis, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Ernest Briner, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Ronald Ingram, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Tracy Moore; Kenny Jones, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court; Alex Latham, In his official capacity as a member of the Lawrence County Quorum Court

lllllllllllllllllllllDefendants - Appellees ____________

Appeals from United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas - Northern ____________

Submitted: April 9, 2024 Filed: May 28, 2024 ____________ Before BENTON, ARNOLD, and STRAS, Circuit Judges. ____________ ARNOLD, Circuit Judge.

-2- After a group of Arkansas landowners began to suspect that a bridge constructed and managed by Lawrence County had caused their farms to flood, they sued the county, complaining that it had unlawfully taken their properties without providing just compensation, in violation of the United States Constitution and the Arkansas Constitution. See U.S. Const. amend. V; Ark. Const. art. II, § 22; see also Ark. Game & Fish Comm'n v. United States, 568 U.S. 23, 27 (2012). A jury awarded the landowners almost $350,000, and the district court upheld