Lawsuit against grower upheld

A federal appeals court has upheld part of a ruling that a Florida tomato grower failed to provide adequate housing for migrant workers but overturned a major section. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday Ag-Mart Produce should have clearly posted the housing terms. But the panel disagreed with a lower court that Ag-Mart controlled the motels where the workers were housed. Last year, a federal judge in Jacksonville ruled for hundreds of farm workers, ordering Ag-Mart to pay them $500,000 in damages. The case was the first of several similar worker lawsuits. Adams said Ag-Mart violated federal law because it did not ensure its crew leaders provided proper housing during the 2001 and 2002.

(Associated Press)