Tyson Farms Hit with $70M Verdict for River Spill

0:00A jury in Walker County, Alabama just hit Tyson Farms in Hydroservice with a $70 million verdict after six years of fighting in court. Boat repairman Mark Griffin sued back in 2020, claiming their wastewater spill gave him flesh-eating bacteria, necrotizing fasciitis from the Black Warrior River. That spilled dumped about 220,000 gallons of nasty chicken processing waste, heads, bones, blood, all that into the mowberry fork, of the river back in 2019. The pipe they rented from Hydroservice failed, and that fork feeds drinking water to a ton of folks in the county. Griffin got sick right after working near the mess, went through brutal treatments and even now he's dealing with a bone infection and open wounds. The four-week trial wrapped with a jury blaming Tyson for reckless behavior and Hydroservice for straight negligence. The attorneys called it the biggest win ever in the county, topping a $10 million record from a few years back. Tyson, who bought the plan in August 2018, had three prior spill since 2011, paid the state

1:04$3 million to settle, and says they've upgraded pipes and scrubbers to prevent repeats. This case spotlights how industrial slips can wreck lives downstream, pushing companies to lock down their ops for good. That wraps Birmingham news today. Brought to you with AI, I'm Corey with The Story.