Thursday, March 11, 2010
If at first you don’t succeed, sue, sue again. That’s what residents of Gentry County, Missouri, did after owners of a hog farm failed to do anything to mitigate the terrible odor emanating from their property. In 1999, a group of 52 plaintiffs, mostly farmers, sued Premium Standard Farms over its hog facility 80 miles north of Kansas City. They won their case and $5.2 million, but Premium Standard allowed the smell to continue to foul the air.
So 15 of the plaintiffs from the 1999 case sued again, and won an $11 million verdict. One expert who testified during the trial said what he saw at the hog farm was worse than anything he experienced while visiting the slums of Calcutta, India.
Following the verdict, the company said it is considering moving its operation elsewhere, in light of “the continuing hostile environment toward live hog production.” Premium Standard Farms is a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Plaintiffs Win $11 Million Verdict over Hog Odors (by Karen Dillon, Kansas City Star)
Premium Standard Statement on Hog Farm Verdict (Kansas City Star)
Jury Awards Plaintiffs $11M Total in Hog Lawsuit (by Bill Draper, Associated Press)
Smithfield Foods Subsidiary Hit with $11 Million Verdict (by Philip Walzer, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)
Pork Plant Workers Win Union Contract after 17-Year Fight (by Jacquelyn Lickness, AllGov)
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