Press Release | Filed Civil Complaint | Stipulation | Final Judgment
(Woodland, CA) – October 31, 2016 – Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced today that Bypass Farms, a West Sacramento farm, will pay $23,565 in costs, penalties, and restitution to resolve claims related to Bypass Farms’ spraying of multiple farm laborers with pesticides. Yolo County Superior Court Judge Timothy L. Fall ordered Bypass Farms to pay this amount, after the parties reached an agreement on this and other terms through a stipulation.
The District Attorney’s investigation found that Bypass Farms sprayed at least nine farm workers with pesticides on August 18, 2014, after failing to follow pesticide instructions and warn these workers of the planned pesticide application. The sprayed farm workers immediately began experiencing various symptoms consistent with pesticide exposure—including headaches, nausea, and vomiting—and ultimately had to visit a hospital.
Under the terms of the settlement, Bypass Farms will pay $23,565 in costs, penalties, and restitution to those harmed by the pesticide spray, and going forward, will be required to use pesticides in a manner that is more protective of farm workers. The restitution funds will reimburse those sprayed for lost personal items and uncompensated sick time.
“The failure to follow pesticide regulations can lead to serious injury to farm workers, as this case unfortunately shows,” said District Attorney Reisig. “The District Attorney’s Office is committed to enforcing environmental and workplace safety laws that protect workers from this kind of behavior and to preventing these violations from reoccurring.”
Bypass Farms has been cooperative with the District Attorneys’ investigation and, in recent months, has implemented new policies and procedures designed to prevent future violations of pesticide-safety requirements.
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