Growers at odds over Tyson verdict

A recent McCurtain County, Oklahoma jury award of $7.3 million dollars to contract poultry growers for Tyson Foods has left some contact growers in McCurtain County divided over whether the suit is good or bad for growers, writes Randy Ellis for NewsOK online.

Some growers think the verdict was long overdue, arguing the poultry giant treats its contract growers like "'indentured servants,"' while other growers maintain that Tyson is the reason they are able to make money raising chickens.

The sentiment in the county seems to reflect the sentiment of the jury. The decision against Tyson was 9-3 and 10-2 on damages awarded to the individual growers. Jury foreman James Doyle believes the majority of the jurors found the growers' testimony more convincing than the witnesses put forward by Tyson.

Ellis reports that the "jury found Tyson guilty of deceptive trade practices, including failing to disclose that growers would not receive a fair return on investment." Tyson is planning to appeal.

Tyson is very much a part of McCurtain County's economic backbone. The company employs almost 1,100 residents, and its operations at Broken Bow "produce an annual economic benefit of $75 million [,]" reports Ellis. With more companion fraud trials between the company and McCurtain County growers upcoming, the company has stated it is "'concerned about the legal climate in McCurtain County' and was 'was assessing all options[.]"'

To read the Ellis article, click here.
To read a previous US Agricultural & Food Law and Policy Blog post on the case, click here.

Posted: 04/14/10