Dismissal of Philippine Banana Farm Workers’ Pesticide Suit Affirmed by California Appellate Court

LOS ANGELES –– The dismissal of a pesticide exposure lawsuit involving former Philippine banana workers has been affirmed by a California appellate court, which held that the claims are time-barred.

In the March 27 opinion, the California 2nd District Court of Appeal said that even if the equitable tolling doctrine was available to non-California residents, the action would still be barred by the state’s two-year statute of limitations.

The case involves nearly 3,000 Philippine residents who contend that they were injured as a result of exposure to pesticide dibromochloropropane (DBCP) in the 1970s and 1980s while employed in banana …