Former Employee Alleges Driscoll’s Violated Pesticide Safety Laws And Tried To Cover It Up

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – A former employee of the world’s largest distributor of berries alleges that the company knowingly violated Canadian import rules and over applied pesticides in violation of California state law for years before asking him to assist in covering it up.

When the now-former employee declined to help unless the company publicly acknowledged the dangerous, years-long violations, he was forced to resign.

According to a civil suit filed in Ventura County Superior Court late last month naming California-based Driscoll’s Inc. and multiple employees as defendants, when the internationally recognized berry distributor punished and eventually pushed David Harada out, they violated state and federal labor laws.

“This lawsuit arises out of the unlawful retaliation suffered by plaintiff David Harada (“HARADA”) after he disclosed that his employer, Driscoll’s Inc. (‘DRISCOLL’S”) had knowledge that it was selling and exporting produce in violation of Federal and State laws and regulations regarding pesticides, as well as Canadian food safety laws,” opened the civil suit alleging unlawful retaliation and wrongful termination. “DRISCOLL’S response to HARADA’s disclosures was to direct HARADA to focus on maintaining DRISCOLL’S profitability and determining DRISCOLL’S plausible deniability for the violations of the law.”