Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismisses lawsuit against Dole [Ventura County Star, Calif.]

Aug. 09--Dole Food Co. Inc. of Westlake Village said a lawsuit filed against the company by nearly 3,000 Filipinos has been dismissed.

The food company said a Los Angeles Superior Court dismissed with prejudice Macasa v. Dole, which 2,935 Philippine plaintiffs filed in 2011.

According to Dole, the plaintiffs said they were banana workers who had been injured by exposure to the pesticide 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane more than 30 years ago.

An identical lawsuit filed by the plaintiffs 13 years ago was dismissed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Dole said.

C. Michael Carter, Dole's executive vice president and general counsel, said the claims made in the case were fraudulent and that the lawsuit should never have been brought because there was no reliable scientific basis for the allegations of injuries from the application of the pesticide in agriculture fields.

The pesticide was used in U.S. soils until 1977, when the Environmental Protection Agency suspended registration on most of its uses for two years and eventually prohibited use of the remaining chemical, according to the EPA. The agency has classified the pesticide as a probable human carcinogen.

Dole produces and sells fresh fruit, vegetables and packaged and frozen foods.

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