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A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent a poultry processing plant in Irwindale from using child labor in "oppressive" conditions.
The order follows a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor, alleging that the plant and its affiliates illegally employed children under 18 to debone raw meat using sharp knives.
There are conflicting accounts between federal officials and the poultry companies regarding these allegations.
Gregory W. Patterson, an attorney representing Chen Lu and other defendants, has accused the Labor Department of planting an underage worker in the facility during its investigation, a claim that the department has dismissed as unfounded.
Federal investigators discovered children deboning poultry at the plant during a visit on Mar. 20.
Despite objections raised by the Labor Department during its search warrant, the facility continued its operations, which is a violation of federal laws prohibiting the sale of products made with child labor.
U.S. District Judge Otis D.
Wright II issued a temporary restraining order requiring the businesses to cease using child labor, provide the Labor Department with requested information, and halt the shipment of poultry from facilities accused of employing child labor.
Patterson alleges that the Labor Department manufactured a child labor claim to strengthen its position in an unrelated investigation regarding unpaid overtime wages.
The Labor Department has conducted investigations into other poultry processing plants in California. In one instance, federal investigators found that children as young as 14 were working long hours in grueling conditions at two plants operated by Exclusive Poultry Inc., which supplies grocery stores like Ralphs and Aldi.
The company was ordered to pay nearly $3.8 million in fines and back wages.
Another investigation highlighted dangerous conditions for primarily Latino immigrant workers at Pitman Farms in the Central Valley, which produces the Mary's Free Range Chicken brand.