The Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeals denied a Michael Abatti petition for a rehearing in his case against the Imperial Irrigation District.

The Court issued the decision on Wednesday after Abatti's attorneys had asked for the Court to reconsider the decision they handed down on July 16 , 2020 that reaffirmed that the Imperial Irrigation District owns the water rights for the Valley. The ruling reversed a 2017 ruling by Imperial County Superior Court Judge L. Brooks Anderholt that found in Abatti's favor. The original suit was filed by Abatti and others as a challenge to the IID's Equitable Distribution Plan in 2013. IID Board President Norma Sierra Galindo said , " In response to the petition for rehearing , the court clarified some language of the original decision and our attorneys' initial response is that the changes make it even stronger in favor of the District."