Tag: Iowa
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Iowa Egg Farm Manager Pleads Guilty in Effort to Bribe Federal Inspector
The manager of an Iowa egg farm that recalled 550 million eggs in a 2010 Salmonella outbreak that may have sickened 2,000 people has reportedly entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to bribe a public official to allow the sale of eggs that failed to meet federal standards. United States v. Wasmund, No.…
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Plaintiffs Lack Standing to Challenge FDA Raw Milk Rules
A federal court in Iowa has dismissed claims filed by a legal defense fund and a number of raw-milk producers challenging Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations prohibiting the shipment of raw milk for human consumption across state lines. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund v. Sebelius, No. 10-4018 (N.D. Iowa, decided March 30, 2012). According to…
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Plaintiffs Unable to Enjoin FDA from Enforcing Raw Milk Regulations
A federal court in Iowa has denied a motion seeking to preliminarily enjoin the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from enforcing regulations prohibiting the interstate sale of raw milk. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund v. Sebelius, No. 10-4018 (N.D. Iowa, decided January 23, 2012). The plaintiffs, who either produce or consume raw milk, filed their motion under…
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First Wave of Settlement Checks Distributed in Salmonella-Tainted Egg Outbreak
Attorneys involved in the settlement of injury claims linked to Salmonella-contaminated eggs traced to Wright County Egg in Iowa have reportedly told the Associated Press that the first checks, issued by the egg producer’s insurer, are on their way to the first of dozens of individuals sickened during the 2010 outbreak. Among the first wave…
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Former Kosher Meatpacking Plant Manager Loses Sentencing Appeal
Sholom Rubashkin, who managed a kosher meatpacking facility in Postville, Iowa, and was convicted on 86 counts related to financial fraud, lost the appeal of his conviction and the 324-month prison sentence imposed by a federal district court. United States v. Rubashkin, Nos. 10-2487/3580 (8th Cir., decided September 16, 2011). Additional details about the case…
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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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Iowa Legislation Would Make Undercover Slaughterhouse Videos Illegal
Iowa Representative Annette Sweeney (R-Alden) has introduced a bill (H.F. 431) that would make it illegal to gain employment under false pretenses on farms or slaughterhouse processing facilities and then produce and distribute undercover videos. The Iowa Senate is reportedly expected to consider similar legislation. Defined in the bill as “animal facility interference,” shooting undercover…
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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…