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Berrybrook attorney responds to legal action
Published 6:02pm Tuesday, August 28, 2012Attorney for Berrybrook Farms Inc. Stephanie Setterington responded Tuesday to inquiries about the lawsuit brought against the farms by the federal government.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor filed a petition for civil contempt, stating Berrybrook Farms Inc. failed to meet a 2010 agreement to improve migrant employee housing. Berrybrook Farms Inc. also operates business matters under Berrybrook Enterprises Inc. The business, with offices at 28230 Elm St. in Dowagiac, was created in 1991 and incorporated in Michigan, with housing for migrant workers in Cass and Van Buren counties. The lawsuit says the farm and owner Joe Hassle Sr. neglected several living conditions, such as adequate water supplies, rodent control and screens. Therefore, the complaint is asking for compliance and fines associated with a follow-up investigation.
“Because the matter is still in the litigation process, we cannot comment,” Setterington. “However, Berrybrook Farms is committed to the compliance with state and federal laws.”
Setterington also said the process is in early stages.
“What I can say is that Berrybrook is committed to treating all of their employees humanely,” Setterington said.
I was just telling the story of how my brother in law and me were hunting on a piece of property adjacent to Joe Hassle’s. This was many many years ago in the early 80′s as a young man, my brother in law shot and wounded a deer and we tracked it into the Hassle property. While tracking Mr Hassle held us at gun point, we tried to explain to no avail. Karma perhaps???
Probably not karma. You were still trespassing and he probably had heard your same story from a hundred other hunters that he caught trespassing. Whether it’s true or not in your case, it’s still the oldest excuse in the book. If he had a dollar for every hunter that was tracking an injured deer onto his land, his workers would probably be living in condos.
Not sure how the comments apply to the article but – Common courtesy is all it takes – ask permission first! We get fowl hunters in our back yard every year thinking it’s okay for them to hunt along the river’s bank without permission. There is such a thing called the “safety zone” in the rule book. It applies to public land just as much as private.