For those interested in agricultural-themed lawsuits, there are two currently ongoing that are worth the read--if for no other reason than to know these suits exist.First, a judge has dismissed New York lawyer Marc Verzani's lawsuit over the package of shrimp he bought at Costco. The man is not suiing because he believes the shrimp was somehow tainted, but rather, because he feels the package was mislabled. The man thought he was buying a pound of shrimp, but upon further examination he discovered there was not a pound of shrimp in the package. So, he hired an attorney and took his anger to court with a federal class action lawsuit over the descrepancy.
The American Bar Association Journal reports that United States District Judge Colleen McMahon did not find the preliminary motion filed by the plaintiff to be valid or, apparently, humorous. The judge, in denying a preliminary injunction against Costco, wrote in the decision, '"A reasonable consumer would understand that purchasing a ready-to-serve, prepackaged convenience item is different than purchasing shrimp at a fish counter, cocktail sauce in a jar and a lemon at the produce department[.]"'
The judge went on to describe the underlying claim as "simply ridiculous . . . [the label] took into account both the shrimp and the sauce, never mind the lemon wedges and lettuce also included in the package." the judge wrote. Undeterred, Verzani plans to appeal the ruling according to New York Post.
To read the American Bar Association journal piece on this lawsuit click here.
In South Korea a company that imports beef from the United States is suing actress Kim Min-sun because the actress says she would prefer to drink cyanide than consume U.S. beef. Kim Min-sun believes that U.S. beef is "tainted" with BSE (mad-cow disease). A-Meat, the company that imports beef from the U.S., was not amused by this statement, and they too are taking their complaint to court. The company is suing Kim Min-sun for $250,000. According to the Korean Times, the company claims $1.5 million in losses, partly do to the statement by Kim Min-sun.
To read the Brownfield's Ag News post about this lawsuit click here.
Posted: 08/12/09
