State drops more than 200 child labor charges against Agriprocessors

The Iowa Attorney General's office filed two motions today in Allamakee County District Court to dismiss 220 child labor charges against Agriprocessors and managers because one of the alleged child victims was 18 years of age.

One motion asks court to dismiss 110 of the 9,311 counts of child labor violations filed in September 2008 against Agriprocessors, former owner Aaron Rubashkin, former vice-president Sholom Rubashkin, former human resources manager Elizabeth Billmeyer, and two former human resources employees Laura Althouse and Karina Freund. They still face 9,201 charges.

The other motion asks the court to dismiss 110 of the 954 counts filed in January against Jeffrey Heasley, a former Agriprocessors beef processing supervisor. He still faces 844 charges.

The child labor charges allege Agriprocessors and employees had knowledge of workers who were under the age of 16 and of undocumented workers. The charges also allege the underaged employees worked in excess of eight hours each day and more than 40 hours a week, and they operated power-driven machinery and were exposed to poisonous or dangerous chemicals.

The trial has been continued to a unspecified date in 2010.