Listen to this note:
By Bay City News.
The owner of farms in Half Moon Bay, where seven farmworkers were killed last year, is being sued by the family of one of the slain workers and his brother, who survived the mass shooting.
Pedro Félix Romero Pérez was shot five times, but survived the shooting on January 23, 2023. His older brother José died.
Attorneys for the family announced Thursday that they filed lawsuits against Xianmin Guan of California Terra Garden, Inc., alleging that the farm “failed to take reasonable steps to protect its tenants from violent acts by third parties.”
The lawsuits also allege that the shooter, Chunli Zhao, had a documented history of violence and that there was another shooting at the property in July 2022.
Authorities said Zhao, who worked on the farms, killed four workers and injured a fifth at California Terra Garden and killed three more workers at a farm a few miles away.
California Terra Garden had no plan to protect workers from violence, according to a news release from attorneys at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, which represents the brothers' family.
“California Terra Gardens benefits from the backs of immigrant workers like Pedro and José, who persevered in the face of unimaginable living and working conditions,” said attorney Nabilah Hossain. “Instead of protecting them like essential workers, California Terra Gardens failed to safeguard them from numerous dangers.
Lawyers for the family are planning a news conference at 11 a.m. Friday to announce the lawsuits, at 604 Main St., Suite G, Half Moon Bay.
You may be interested in: San Mateo County health authorities raise alert against Measles due to increase in cases
