Q: What happened to the criminal investigation of Peanut Corp. of America and the civil cases?
—Rick Parker, Atlanta
A: Peanut Corp. of America, which was the subject of a deadly peanut recall in 2008-09, was found responsible in a civil lawsuit and ordered to pay $12 million to about 120 victims last September. The settlement was funded by an insurance policy, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. Salmonella tainted peanuts caused the deaths of nine people and sickened more than 700 others in 42 states, many of who ate peanut butter and peanut paste produced at the PCA plant in Blakely. The plant has since been shut down; PCA filed for Chapter 7 in February 2009. The roughly 120 plaintiffs were to receive between $20,000 and $2 million each. The settlements in the wrongful death cases ranged from $200,000 to about $1 million, the Star-Tribune reported. Stewart Parnell, the company owner at the time, invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying before Congress in February 2009. The U.S. Justice Department has repeatedly declined to comment on any potential criminal charges. Parnell attorneys did not return e-mails.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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