Kauai residents win lawsuit against DuPont for property damage from farm test fields

A federal court jury has awarded more than $500,000 to 15 Kauai residents who say they can’t enjoy their homes because of red dust from test fields operated by DuPont Pioneer.

The seven-member jury on Friday awarded $191,315 for property damage and $315,775 for loss of use and enjoyment of property.

The Waimea residents filed lawsuits in 2011 and 2012 against the seed company formerly called Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. They said red dust from the company’s Waimea Research Center field caused extensive damage to their properties.

Company officials are disappointed in the verdict and plan to evaluate their options in coming days, DuPont Pioneer spokeswoman Laurie Yoshida said.

The residents’ attorney, Patrick Kyle Smith, said he was elated for his clients. “We hope it makes things better in Waimea,” said Smith outside the courtroom.

The verdict said DuPont Pioneer failed to follow generally accepted agricultural and management practices from Dec. 13, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2011. The jurors found the “seriousness of the harm to each plaintiff outweighs the public benefit of Pioneer’s farming operation.”

At the beginning of the trial, when residents alluded to health effects they link to the dust, U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi reminded their attorneys that the cases were about property damage, loss of enjoyment of property and emotional stress — not physical effects.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Jury awards Kauai residents more than $500K in dust lawsuit

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}
screenshot at  pm

Are pesticide residues on food something to worry about?

In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring drew attention to pesticides and their possible dangers to humans, birds, mammals and the ...
glp menu logo outlined

Newsletter Subscription

* indicates required
Email Lists
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.