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Disabled Turkey Plant Workers Awarded $240 Million in Damages for Abuses, Discrimination

HeadlineMay 02, 2013

A federal jury in Iowa has awarded a record $240 million to a group of mentally disabled workers who suffered abuses and discrimination at the turkey processing plant where they worked. The company Hill Country Farms was found guilty of maintaining a hostile work environment and discriminating against the workers over their disability. The workers were paid substandard wages, hit by fellow employees, called names, confined to rooms, denied bathroom breaks and prevented from seeking medical attention. The 32 workers were awarded $7.5 million each. It is the largest settlement in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s nearly 50-year history, but Hill Country Farms is unlikely to pay the full amount.

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