Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 Page 1 of 9 PageID 1   In the United States District Court   Northern District of Texas   Amarillo Division     Ka La Ya Lay, Aye Aya Lay, Tun Lah,  Individually, and Tun Nee Individually and  as next friend of minor child, K.M.N. and  as Representatives of the Estate of  Pwar Gay, Deceased Vs. Tyson Foods, Inc.  §  §  §  §  §  §  § §  §  Action No. _________________  PLAINTIFFS’ ORIGINAL COMPLAINT   Ka  La  Ya  Lay,  Aye  Aya  Lay,  Tun  Lah,  Individually,  and  Tun  Nee  Individually  and  as  next  friend  of  minor  child,  K.M.N.  and  ​as  Representatives  of  the  Estate  of  Pwar  Gay,  Deceased,  Plaintiffs,  set  forth  their  Complaint  for  damages  against  Tyson  Foods,  Inc.,  Defendant,  and  for  cause of action would show as follows:   1. Parties   1.1 Plaintiff, Tun Nee, is a resident and citizen of the State of Texas.  1.2 Plaintiff, Ka La Ya Lay, is a resident and citizen of the State of Texas.  1.3 Aye Aya Lay, is a resident and citizen of the State of Iowa.  1.4 Plaintiff, Tun Lah, is a resident and citizen of the State of Texas.  1.5 Plaintiff, K.M.N. is a minor and is a resident and citizen of the State of Texas.  1.6  Defendant,  Tyson  Foods,  Inc.,  (“Tyson”)  is  a  company  doing  business  in  the  State  of  Texas and may be served by process by serving its registered agent, CT Corporation System, 1999  Bryan  St.,  Suite  900,  Dallas,  Texas  75201-3136.  Citation  is  requested  herein.  Tyson  is  a  company  Page 1  Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 Page 2 of 9 PageID 2 incorporated under the laws of Delaware with a principal place of business in Arkansas.  2.  Jurisdiction and Venue   2.1  Jurisdiction  of  this  Court  is invoked pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332. The Plaintiffs and  Defendant  are  citizens  of  different  states  and  Plaintiffs seek damages in an amount that exceeds the  sum or value of $75,000 exclusive of interest and costs.  2.2  Personal  jurisdiction  and  venue  are  proper  because  the  cause  of  action  accrued  and  the  negligent  acts  occurred  within  the  Northern  District  of  Texas,  specifically  within  its  Amarillo  Division.  Furthermore,  Tyson  has  a  significant  presence  within  the  Northern  District of Texas as it  has facilities located in the area.   2.3 Plaintiffs  are  entitled  to  bring  a  wrongful  death  action  pursuant  to Tex. Civ. Prac. &  Rem. § 71.004. The family members’ relationships to the decedent are as follows:  Tun Nee Husband of Pwar Gay  Ka La Ya Lay  Child of Pwar Gay   Aye Aya Lay Child of Pwar Gay  Tun Lah  Child of Pwar Gay  K.M.N. 2.4 Child of Pwar Gay  Additionally,  a  survival  action  is  brought  herein  by  Tun  Nee,  in  his  capacity  as  Representative of the Estate of Pwar Gay, Deceased.  3.  Background  3.1 Ms.  Gay  worked  as  a  meatcutter at the Tyson meatpacking plant located at 5000 FM  1912,  Amarillo,  Texas  79108.  The  city  of  Amarillo  issued  a  stay-at-home  order  effective  April  1,  Page 2  Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 Page 3 of 9 PageID 3 2020.1  Similarly,  Governor  Abbott  issued  a  stay-at-home  order  which  took  effect on April 2, 2020.2  In  April  2020  Ms.  Gay  slipped  and  fell  and  injured  her  knees  while  on  the  job  with  Tyson.  Following  the  injury,  Tyson sent Ms. Gay to the Tyson Company Clinic, where she received first aid  treatment  and  was  sent  back  to  work.  Ms.  Gay  was  suffering  from  pain  and  swelling,  but  was  not  allowed to go home and rest or seek medical attention due to Tyson’s shortage in staff.  3.2 This  injury  occurred  during  the  COVID-19  pandemic.  COVID-19  infected  numerous  workers  at  the  Tyson  Beef  Plant  in  Amarillo,  where  Ms.  Gay  worked.  Ms.  Gay  was  required  to  continue  to  work  in  pain  and  with  her  injured  knees,  and  during  the  coronavirus  pandemic.  Ms.  Gay  was  not  provided  appropriate  personal  protective  equipment  (“PPE”)  to  protect  her  from  coronavirus.  After  working  on  her  injured  leg  Ms.  Gay  fell  ill  and  was  rushed  to  the  hospital  after  she  started  having  dificulty  breathing  and  her  knee  was  extremely  swollen  and  painful.  Ms.  Gay  was  admitted  for  several  weeks  as a result of the combination of her knee injuries  and COVID-19 symptoms, which later proved to be fatal. Ms. Gay died on May 8, 2020.  3.3 Plaintiffs  would show that nothing that Pwar Gay did or failed to do on the occasion  in  question  caused  or  contributed  to  cause  the  occurrence.  To  the  contrary,  the  injuries  and  death  of Ms. Gay were proximately caused by the negligence, both of commission and omission, of Tyson.  Tyson’s  negligence  caused  Ms.  Gay’s  knee  injuries, and also caused Ms. Gay to contract COVID-19  and die.  3.4 Upon  information  and  belief,  at  least  4,500  Tyson  employees  have  contracted  1 Amarillo Globe News, https://www.amarillo.com/news/20200330/city-of-amarillo-issues-stay-at-home-order (last  visited May 14, 2020).  2 Texas Tribute, https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/31/greg-abbott-texas-executive-order-closures/ (last visited  May 14, 2020).  Page 3  Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 Page 4 of 9 PageID 4 COVID-19,  and  at  least  18  have  died.3  A  grossly  disproportionate  number  of  Tyson  employees  have  contracted  COVID-19,  and  have  died,  when  compared  to  the  population  as  a  whole.  Tyson  does  not  provide  workers  compensation  insurance  to  its  employees,  nor  does  it  provide  them with  any  sick  paid  leave.  Rather,  Tyson  institutes  a  rigged  “injury  settlement”  program  under  which the  deck is stacked against its employees.  The thousands of Tyson employees who have been injured on  the  job  over  the  years  know  this  rigged  program  as  “WISP,”  which  stands  for  “Workplace  Injury  Settlement Program.”  3.5 Tyson  was  grossly  negligent  and  acted  with  malice,  as that term is understood under  Texas  law,  and  such  conduct  was  a  proximate  cause  of  the  injuries  and  death  of  Ms.  Gay.  Tyson’s  malicious  and  grossly  negligent  conduct  justifies  the  imposition  of  punitive  and exemplary damages  both  as  punishment  of  Tyson and its callous disregard for the safety of individuals such as Ms. Pwar  Gay. Plaintiffs therefore ask for punitive and exemplary damages in addition to actual damages.  3.6 Plaintiff,  Tun  Nee  has  also  suffered  pecuniary  loss  from  the  death  of  his wife, Pwar  Gay.  Decedent  provided  her  husband  with  care,  attention,  and  counsel.  In  all  reasonable  probability,  decedent  would  have  continued  to  provide  for her husband until death.  Tun Nee seeks  to  recover  a  sum  of  money  that  would  fairly  and reasonably compensate him for the termination of  the  husband-wife  relationship,  including  the  loss  of  the  love,  companionship  and  society  that  he  would  have  received  from  his  wife,  Pwar  had she lived.  Plaintiff, Tun Nee also seeks compensation  for  the  mental  anguish,  emotional  pain,  torment  and  suffering  that  he  has  suffered,  and  in  reasonable probability will continue to suffer in connection with the wrongful death of Pwar Gay.  3.7  Ka  La  Ya  Lay,  Aye  Aya  Lay,  Tun  Lah,  and  K.M.N.  ​have  suffered  pecuniary  loss  3 Business Insider,  https://www.businessinsider.com/tyson-4500-covid-19-cases-as-meat-industry-blames-workers-2020-5 (last visited May  14, 2020).  Page 4  Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 Page 5 of 9 PageID 5 from  the  death  of  their  mother,  including  losses  of  care,  maintenance,  support,  services,  advice,  counsel,  and  contributions  of  a  pecuniary  value  that  they  would,  in  reasonable  probability,  have  received  from  their  mother  during her lifetime had he lived.  They have suffered additional losses by  virtue  of  the  destruction  of  the  parent-child  relationship,  including  the  right  to  love,  affection,  solace,  comfort,  companionship,  society,  emotional  support,  and  happiness.  They  have  suffered  mental  anguish,  grief,  and  sorrow  as  a  result  of  the  death  of their mother, and are likely to continue  to suffer for a long time in the future.  3.8 Additionally,  a  survival  action  is  brought  herein  by  Tun  Nee,  in  his  capacity  as  Representative  of  the  Estate  of  Pwar Gay, Deceased, including claims for medical bills and pain and  suffering.  3.9 Tun Nee, Ka La Ya Lay, Aye Aya Lay, Tun Lah, K.M.N. were present when Ms. Gay  suffered  from  her  knee  injury  COVID-19 symptoms and death and they were in shock as a result of  direct emotional impact from perceiving the death of Ms. Gay as it happened. Accordingly, Plaintiffs  are entitled to recover mental-anguish damages as a bystander to the death of Ms. Pwar Gay.  3.10 Tyson was not a subscriber to a policy of workers compensation insurance, and thus   Plaintiff brings this suit for damages under the provisions of Section 406.033 of the Texas Labor   Code for personal injuries while in the course and scope of her employment with Defendant.   3.11  Tyson, as a non-subscriber under the Texas Workers' Compensation Act, and   pursuant to Section 406.033 of the Texas Labor Code, has lost its common law defenses of:   a.  contributory negligence of Plaintiff;   b.  that the injury was caused by the negligence of a fellow employee; and/or   c.  that the Plaintiff assumed the risk of the injury incident to her employment.   Page 5  Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 3.12  Page 6 of 9 PageID 6 Furthermore,  Tyson  was  the  owner  of  the  premises  where  the  incident  occurred  or  otherwise  was  in  control  of  the  premises  located  at  5000  FM  1912.  Ms.  Gay  was  its  invitee  at  the  time  the  injury  occurred.  The  plaintiff  went  on  defendant’s  premises  for  the  mutual  benefit  of  herself and the defendant, upon the invitation of employment at the premises in question.   4.  Employer Negligence   4.1 On  the  occasion  in  question,  Tyson  owed  Ms.  Gay  a  duty  of  care  commensurate  with  its  relationship  to  her  as  her  employer.  As  her  employer,  Tyson  owed  Ms.  Gay  a  duty  to  use  ordinary  care  in  providing  a  safe  workplace,  hiring  competent  co-employees,  providing  needed  safety  equipment  or  assistance,  warning  Ms.  Gay  of  the  hazards  of  her  employment,  and providing  training and supervision.   4.2  Ms.  Gay  sustained  her  severe,  permanent  injuries  and  died  because  of  Tyson’s  negligence and gross negligence when Tyson and/or its employees negligently:   a. failed to provide a safe workplace;   b. failed to protect employees against coronavirus;  c. failed to hire competent co-employees;   d. failed to supervise its employees;  e. failed warn Ms. Gay of the slip hazards;  f. failed to properly train employees on safety protocols; and  g. failed to properly supervise employees on a regular basis and under pandemic  conditions.  4.3  Tyson’s breach of its duty to use ordinary care constituted negligence and was a  proximate cause of Ms. Gay’s injuries and death.   Page 6  Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 Page 7 of 9 PageID 7 5. Premises Liability   5.1  Additionally,  as  the premises owner, Tyson Food owed Ms. Gay (its invitee) the duty  to  exercise  ordinary care to keep the premises in a reasonably safe condition, inspect the premises to  discover latent defects, and make safe any defects or give an adequate warning.   5.2  Tyson’s  conduct,  and  that  of  its  agents,  servants,  and  employees,  acting  within  the  scope  of  their  employment,  constituted  a  breach  of  the  duty  of ordinary care owed by Tyson to the  Ms. Gay.   5.3  Tyson  knew  that  the  condition  on  its premises created an unreasonable risk of harm  to  invitees  because  Tyson  knew  of  the  rampant  spread  of  COVID-19  throughout  its facility and of  previous  slip  and  fall  incidents  and/or  knew  of  the  enduring  hazardous  conditions: that the surface  was  slippery,  dirty,  over-worn,  lacking  appreciable  non-skid,  without  proper  drainage,  warped,  and  susceptible  to  ponding.  Notwithstanding,  Tyson  should  have  known  that  the  condition  on  its  premises  created  an  unreasonable  risk  of  harm  to  invitees  because  enduring  hazardous  conditions  had  been  present  for  such  a  long  period  of  time  that  Tyson  should  have  known  of  them  in  the  exercise of ordinary care.   5.4  Tyson  failed  to  exercise  ordinary  care  to  reduce  or  eliminate  this  risk  by  exposing  employees  to  coronavirus  and  failing  to  maintain  the  floor  in  a  reasonably safe condition, by failing  to  remove  the  foreign  substance,  and  by  failing  to  warn  the  plaintiff  regarding  the  slippery  and  dangerous condition of the floor.   5.5  Each of these acts and omissions, whether taken singularly or in any combination,  was a proximate cause of the occurrence described above and of the plaintiff’s injuries and damages  described below.   Page 7  Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 Page 8 of 9 PageID 8 6.  Punitive/Exemplary Damages   6.1  Ms.  Gay  adopts  and  incorporates  by  reference  the  preceding  Paragraphs  1  through  4.5 as if fully stated within this section.   6.2 Tyson was grossly negligent, as that term is understood under Texas law, and such  conduct was a proximate cause of Ms. Gay’s injuries and death. Tyson’s grossly negligent conduct  justifies the imposition of punitive and exemplary damages both as punishment of Tyson and its  callous disregard for the safety of individuals such as Ms. Gay, and to deter Tyosn’s ongoing actions  as well as others from engaging in similar conduct.   6.3  Plaintiff therefore asks for punitive and exemplary damages in addition to all actual   damages.   7.  Pre- and Post-Judgment Interest  7.1 Plaintiffs  would  additionally  say  and  show  that  they  are  entitled  to  recovery  of  pre-  and  post-judgment  interest  in  accordance  with  law  and  equity  as  part  of  their  damages  herein,  and  Plaintiffs  here  and  now  sue  for  recovery  of  pre-  and  post-judgment  interest  as provided by law and  equity, under the applicable provisions of the laws of the State of Texas.  8. Jury Demand   8.1 Plaintiffs hereby request a trial by jury.  9.  Conclusion and Prayer  9.1 Plaintiffs  request  that  Defendants  be  cited  to  appear  and  answer,  and  that  on  final  trial  Plaintiffs  have:  (1)  judgment  against  Defendants,  for  actual,  compensatory  and  exemplary  damages  in  accordance  with  the  evidence;  (2)  pre-judgment  and  post-judgment  interest as provided  Page 8  Case 2:20-cv-00125-Z Document 1 Filed 05/15/20 Page 9 of 9 PageID 9 by  law;  (3)  costs  of  court;  (4)  attorney's  fees;  and  (5)  such  other  and  further  relief,  general  and  special, to which Plaintiffs may show themselves justly entitled at law and in equity.  Respectfully submitted,  VB Attorneys  /s/ Vuk S. Vujasinovic  Vuk S. Vujasinovic  SBN: 00794800  Vuk@vbattorneys.com  Job Tennant  SBN: 24106501  Job@vbattorneys.com  6363 Woodway, Suite 400  Houston, Texas 77056  713.224.7800  713.224.7801 Fax  Admin E-copy to Liza@vbattorneys.com  Attorneys for Plaintiffs, ​Ka La Ya Lay, Aye Aya  Lay, Tun Lah, Individually, and Tun Nee  Individually and as next friend of minor child,  K.M.N. and a​ s Rep. of the Estate of Pwar Gay,  Deceased,  Page 9