{"id":1706,"date":"2020-04-24T16:05:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T16:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmstand.chee.studio\/case\/rcwa-jane-doe-v-smithfield\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T23:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T23:00:24","slug":"rcwa-jane-doe-v-smithfield","status":"publish","type":"case","link":"http:\/\/farmstand.org\/es\/case\/rcwa-jane-doe-v-smithfield\/","title":{"rendered":"Rural Community Workers Alliance & Jane Doe v. Smithfield"},"content":{"rendered":"

With food chain workers deemed \u201cessential\u201d for the wellbeing of others at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but expected to continue working through their own illness, workers at Smithfield\u2019s pork processing plant in Milan, Missouri took legal action to secure basic protective equipment and protocol changes and stop the spread of the disease in the plant and the surrounding community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This action, filed in April 2020, was the first lawsuit seeking to secure injunctive relief to protect frontline workers from coronavirus, and was profiled in the New York Times<\/em>.<\/a> The plaintiffs in the suit were local nonprofit workers\u2019 rights group Rural Community Workers Alliance and an anonymous worker who was a veteran of the facility\u2019s cut floor and who feared contracting the disease in the plant and spreading it in the community. The anonymous worker’s story was featured in the Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filed by FarmSTAND (formerly the Food Project at Public Justice), Towards Justice, and the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom less than two weeks after Smithfield\u2019s Sioux Falls plant shut down indefinitely due to a coronavirus outbreak<\/a>, the complaint alleged Smithfield\u2019s operations constituted a public nuisance because they unreasonably interfered with the common public right to public health, and because they were a breach of Smithfield\u2019s duty to provide its workers with a reasonably safe workplace. The suit did not seek money damages, but asked the Court to force Smithfield to comply with CDC guidelines, state public health orders, and the guidance of health care professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After we filed suit, the court ordered Smithfield to follow current CDC guidelines, and there were numerous changes to Smithfield’s practices. Smithfield:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0expanded the break area to allow for social distancing;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. changed its clock in\/clock out policies to allow for social distancing;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. reduced the number of hogs it is slaughtering at the plant to allow for social distancing;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. began enforcing mask policies;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. altered its sick leave policies to allow for paid leave (and that workers wouldn\u2019t lose their right to a bonus) if workers showed symptoms;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. expanded its guidelines of what constituted \u201csymptoms\u201d to match the CDC\u2019s updates; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. made the barriers between workers on the line stronger.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The district court stated that given these changes, there was no \u201cimminent\u201d risk of harm and the additional changes we were asking for should be left to OSHA. This spurred our Maid-Rite<\/a> case, which ultimately affirmed that workers can go to the courts when OSHA fails to protect them from imminent danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Smithfield case was featured in an New York Times editorial about Mitch McConnell\u2019s rush to reopen businesses<\/a> amid the global pandemic, and the true need for mandatory guidelines to protect people\u2019s health and lives. The case was also featured in Netflix\u2019s Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj<\/em>, in the episode \u201cHow Coronavirus Broke America<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n
    \n

    Alegatos de bienhecho<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    Complaint (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Emergency motion for preliminary injunction (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Doe declaration (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fuentes declaration (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fritzsche declaration (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Harrison declaration (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Corbo declaration (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Order granting Smithfield motion to dismiss (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Second Doe declaration in support of plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Second Fuentes declaration in support of plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Exh. A to plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ post-hearing brief (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Exh. B to plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ post-hearing brief (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Michaels declaration in support of plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Perry declaration in support of plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ post-hearing supplemental brief (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plaintiffs’ brief in support of motion to allow Doe to proceed under pseudonym (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ supplemental authority (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plaintiffs’ opposition to Smithfield’s motion to dismiss (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rosenthal declaration in support of plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plaintiffs’ opposition to defendants’ motion for time (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plaintiffs’ motion to reconsider and suggestions in support (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Order denying motion for reconsideration (RCWA & Jane Doe v. Smithfield)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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