Personal Injury Law

Parnell And Plant Manager Plead Fifth--Refuse To Answer Questions From Congress

By Marler Clark LLP

Stewart Parnell, president of Peanut Corporation of America, and Sammy Lightsey, manager of PCA's Blakely, GA plant both just invoked their rights  under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to avoid giving truthful answers to a Congressional panel today in Washington, D.C.

Parnell and Lightsey were asked to respond to explosive emails uncovered by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations showing that PCA officials shipped peanut butter they knew to be contaminated with Salmonella and engaged in "lab-shopping" to get the results they wanted. 

Parnell and Lightsey were called to testify after a "victim's panel" of relatives of two of the eight deaths linked to the current outbreak and the father of a 3-year old survivor from Oregon.

The PCA officials appeared before the Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee under subpoena. Parnell, 54, lives near Lynchburg, VA, where PCA is headquartered, with his wife Gloria.

PCA is responsible for the largest recall of peanut products in the history of the United States.  

Please go HERE for the updated list.  Parnell and PCA  are currently the subjects of a federal criminal investigation.  PCA's salmonella-tainted products have made 600 people seriously sick and killed the eight.

Full post as published by Salmonella Blog on February 11, 2009 (boomark / email).