Continued from August 2025 news blog
On Jan. 25, 2023, Cornejo allegedly brought a firearm to his office and displayed it on his desk to intimidate Lux and the other Guatemalans, according to the lawsuit. One of the other plaintiffs alleges Cornejo referred to him as his “faithful dog,” his “slave” and as his “Guatemalan wetback,” while making him apply pesticides in chicken houses without the necessary protective equipment.
In response to the lawsuit, Centrum Valley Farms has denied any wrongdoing and claimed more than a dozen affirmative defenses.
For example, the company alleges the plaintiffs failed to take advantage of corrective or preventative opportunities to avoid any harm, and that the Guatemalans’ claims of harassment are barred because the workers cannot show that any such conduct was so severe or pervasive that it affected their employment.
To the extent that any discriminatory or retaliatory conduct was committed by an employee of Centrum Valley Farms, the company states that the conduct fell outside the scope of the employee’s authority and was contrary to Centrum Valley Farm’s “good-faith efforts to comply with state and federal law.”
A trial date has yet to be scheduled.