© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Apple's latest iOS (17.4) is preventing our livestreams from playing. We suggest you download the free Boise State Public Radio app & stream us there while we work to troubleshoot the issue.
Idaho dairy farmers produce more milk and cheese than almost any state in the nation. Idaho is ranked third behind California and Wisconsin.

Idaho Dairy Sued By Former Workers From Mexico

Kay Ledbetter
/
AgriLife

A lawsuit filed in district court in Boise earlier this month pits an Idaho dairy against former employees from Mexico. 

Six veterinarians are suing Funk Dairy southeast of Twin Falls for human trafficking and breach of contract, among other charges. The vets are from Mexico, and say they were hired to work at the dairy in 2014 under false pretenses.

According to the Capital Press, the lawsuit alleges a criminal conspiracy to bring them to the United States while avoiding immigration laws. They claim they were hired to work as professional veterinarians on the dairy, but instead were forced to work as general laborers who milked cows and cleaned pens.

Named in the lawsuit are the owner of the dairy, the dairy manager, and Burley immigration attorney Jeremy Pittard. Pittard told the Capital Press he assumes the Mexican workers filed the suit because they were disgruntled about how difficult the work was at the dairy once they arrived.
 

Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill

Copyright 2017 Boise State Public Radio

Frankie Barnhill was the Senior Producer of Idaho Matters, Boise State Public Radio's daily show and podcast.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.