Strawberry experts find themselves in the center of a lawsuit.

Doug Shaw (pictured below, courtesy of LA Times) is one of California’s predominant experts on Strawberries, and Kirk Larson is a UC breeding expert. Though they are not named as defendants, they are at the center of a legal battle.

Larson has worked for UC Davis for nearly 3 decades. He and Shaw planned to leave UC and start a private company for strawberry crop developments. They wanted to take a share of valuable UC inventory of strawberry specimens dating back to the 1930s.

The Strawberry Commission, which represents mainly growers and packers, was alarmed. It sued the University of California alleging UC was endorsing privatization of an important part of the state’s agricultural heritage, according to LA Times. UC denies it.

"The concern is that an employee of the university and a group of investors are attempting to get a personal gain from what truly belongs to the industry and the people of the state of California," said Tom Am Rhein, research committee chairman of the Strawberry Commission.

The commission funds UC research by $350,000 annually. Strawberry nurseries throughout the state also get discounts on royalties they paid to grow and sell UC varieties. The lawsuit claims that the end of both arrangements 2 years ago was a breach of contract.

LA Times reports that the suit also claims that the university is not properly safeguarding the so-called germplasm, a living museum of 1600 strawberry types sustained over decades for reproduction, plantings and refrigeration at UC’s farm properties. The suit calls the university ceding control to Shaw and Larson “a classic case of the fox guarding the henhouse.”

UC says it is a public-oriented strawberry breeding program and both Shaw and Larson will be replaced when they leave.

"This breeding program is really important to the university, this state and worldwide," said Jacob Appelsmith, UC Davis' chief counsel. "For whatever reasons, there has been some anxiety given that these breeders are retiring. But we are doing everything we can to expand and improve it."

UC has asked an Alameda County Superior Court judge to dismiss the lawsuit saying the commission has no right to dictate UC’s strawberry research.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow this developing strawberry conflict.