This page serves as a resource for accurate factual information related to cases concerning the agricultural chemical DBCP and Dole’s firm commitment to the safety and well being of our employees.
Dole is dedicated to constant improvements in the health and safety of our 75,000 employees worldwide. Dole sets high standards for the Company that go beyond what the law requires. Our people are our greatest asset and their safety and well being our highest priority.
LATEST NEWS
On June 17, 2009, LA Superior Court Judge Victoria G. Chaney formally
dismissed with prejudice the two remaining lawsuits against Dole by
Nicaraguan plaintiffs. The Court issued written Findings of Fact and
Conclusions of Law, which formalized the April 23 oral ruling and dismissal
with prejudice of Mejia, et al. v. Dole Food Company, Inc., et al. and
Rivera, et al. v. Dole Food Company, Inc., et al.
The ruling found “clear and convincing evidence” that the plaintiffs, and
certain of their attorneys, fabricated their claims, engaged in a
long-running conspiracy to commit a fraud on the court, used threats of
violence to frighten witnesses and suppress the truth, and conspired with
corrupt Nicaraguan judges to use a targeted Nicaragua statute to deprive
Dole and the other companies of due process.
According to the Findings, “[t]he evidence of fraud and obstruction of
justice by Plaintiffs and their counsel in this case and in other DBCP
cases in and emanating from Nicaragua threatens the integrity of this Court
and the integrity of other courts in which such cases are pending or are
brought in the future.”
In addition, the Court found that Tellez, et al. v. Dole Food Company, Inc., et al. was also
“built on somebody’s imagination, a case that was put together by smoke and mirrors.” The
Court continued with the following, “Viewing the testimony of the Tellez Plaintiffs with the benefit of the
evidence of fraud collected in the Mejia and Rivera cases that is now
before this Court, it is now clear that those Plaintiffs and the
evidence presented were all a product of the fraudulent enterprise the
Court has found pervasive in these cases. Had the Court had the benefit
of the evidence of fraud it now has when it still had jurisdiction over
the Tellez case, it would have terminated that litigation as it has in
the Mejia and Rivera cases.”
Dole is committed to the quality of our products, sustainable environmental practices and the wellbeing of our 75,000 employees worldwide. Dole contributes generously to the communities where it operates around the world, promoting nutrition and health education as well as a healthier, more sustainable environment. Visit: http://dole.com/corporateresponsibility/ to learn more.
