Category: 8th Circuit
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Court Awards Disabled Turkey Plant Workers $1.7 Million in Back Pay
A federal court in Iowa has determined that 31 disabled men who worked at a turkey-processing plant were owed $1.7 million in back wages and liquidated damages by employers who compensated them at a rate of about $.41 per hour for years. Solis v. Hill Country Farms, Inc., No. 09-00162 (S.D. Iowa, Davenport Div., decided…
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Workers’ Comp Deductibles at Issue in Pork Employees’ Neurological Disease
A Minnesota appeals court has reportedly decided a dispute over workers’ compensation deductibles in favor of a pork processing company’s insurance carrier in litigation arising from injuries to employees exposed to the mist from pig brain tissue. Quality Pork Processors Inc. is apparently considering whether to appeal the ruling to the state supreme court. According…
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Missouri Couple Charged with Fraud in $3.1 Million Grain Storage Scandal
A federal grand jury has indicted a husband and wife who own a grain storage company in northwestern Missouri, alleging that they conspired to victimize more than 100 farmers at an estimated loss exceeding $3.1 million by selling grain the farmers owned without paying them and by commingling and embezzling the farmers’ money. United States…
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SPAM® Maker Sues Prem Maker for Trademark and Trade Dress Infringement
Hormel Foods, LLC has filed a complaint in a Minnesota federal court against a company that also makes a canned meat product, alleging that the company is infringing Hormel’s SPAM® trademark, which consists of yellow lettering on a blue background. Hormel Foods, LLC v. Zwanenberg Food Group (USA), Inc., No. __ (D. Minn., filed March…
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Court Issues Summary Judgment Rulings in Remanded GM Rice Contamination Suits
A federal court in Missouri has denied in part and granted in part the summary judgment motions filed by Texas and Louisiana rice farmers as well as the company they sued in the first group of cases in this multidistrict litigation (MDL) to be remanded to their transferor courts for trial. In re: Genetically Modified Rice…
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Legal Advocacy Groups Support Kosher Meat Processing Executive
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) have reportedly filed amicus briefs with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, supporting the efforts of counsel for Sholom Rubashkin to overturn his conviction and sentence for financial fraud at his Iowa meat processing facility. The kosher plant was raided in…
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Cases Recently Settled—Dairy Price Fixing, BPA in Baby Bottles
Northeast dairy farmers have reportedly settled their price-fixing claims against Dean Foods Co. for $30 million and injunctive relief requiring the company to buy a portion of its raw milk from multiple sources. Allen v. Dairy Farmers of America, No. __ (D. Vt., settlement reached December 24, 2010). While the agreement requires court approval, it…
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Supply Chain Litigation Follows Soy Grit Salmonella Contamination and Recall
A company that makes name- and store-brand food products, including cereals, granola products, pastas, and bakery goods, has sued the supplier of soybean food ingredients allegedly contaminated with Salmonella, seeking in excess of $7 million in damages. Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. v. Thumb Oilseed Producers’ Coop., No. 10-1898 (E.D. Mo., filed October 8, 2010). According to…