Texas Lawyer Inspects Peanut Corporation of America Plants

Blakely, GAYesterday attorney Ron Simon investigated one plant at the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) in Texas and the second PCA plant in Georgia today. The evidence that the PCA's products were contaminated is overwhelming. And he has photos from both plants—incriminating evidence indeed. (The photo on the left shows a dead rat and several roaches.)

Simon went into the plants with a video crew and photographer and did a thorough inspection of both plants. "We found rat and rodent infestations and insects, including roaches," he says. "We found standing water next to and under finished products that were awaiting shipment. Leaks from the roof were leaking right on the production room floor, directly where the peanut products were sitting."

He says that at the Blakely plant, there were huge entry ports on the roof and the vents that a grown man could crawl through."The air ducts and vents are supposed to have grates over them but several of them did not have grates at all while others had grates that had corroded away," says Simon.

There were no employees in the plant—these plants were shut down at the beginning of this year. Simon and his crew were able to view the site with permission from PCA's bankruptcy trustee for use as evidence in his lawsuit. "This is the company's failure for creating an unsafe environment," says Simon. " It is management failure for not fixing it and it will be our failure if we don't hold them accountable and make sure it never happens again."

Ron Simon represents over 100 people affected by this outbreak including two families who have lost their loved ones.