Calif. Appellate Court Affirms Dismissal of Banana Farm Pesticide Case; Cites ‘Substantial Evidence’ of Fraudulent Claims

LOS ANGELES –– A California appellate court has upheld the dismissal of a pesticide lawsuit filed by alleged employees of a banana farm in Nicaragua, finding that evidence revealed in two related cases supported a finding of fraud in the instant case as well.

In the March 7 opinion, the California Second District Court of Appeal found that the trial court did not err when it relied on testimony from witnesses whose identities were concealed under a protective order in granting Dole Food Company and Dow Chemical Co.’s coram vobis petition for relief.

The underlying case, Tellez, is one of …