Meatpacker Wants Federal Judge to Throw Out Texas Safety Claim

A JBS USA-owned meatpacking firm wants a federal judge to throw out a coronavirus-related safety lawsuit brought by four workers after each became infected with Covid-19 at a Cactus, Texas, plant in April.

Bolstering its bid to dismiss the case on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas at Amarillo, Swift Beef asserted it is immune from strict liability claims that assert a party is legally responsible regardless of fault or intent.

“Plaintiffs try to hold Swift strictly liable for their alleged injuries by transforming Swift into an insurer of employee safety notwithstanding undisputed ...