Barden v. Murphy-Brown Holdings, LLC

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA SOUTHERN DIVISION No. 7:20–CV–85–BR JEANNIE MAE BARDEN, et al., ) ) Plaintiffs, ) v. ) ORDER ) MURPHY-BROWN, LLC and ) SMITHFIELD FOODS, INC., ) ) Defendants. ) This matter is before the court on defendants’ (1) motion to dismiss, (DE # 28), and (2) motion to strike, (DE # 30). I. BACKGROUND In May 2020, plaintiffs initiated this action against Murphy-Brown, LLC (“Murphy- Brown”) and Smithfield Foods, Inc. (“Smithfield”). According to plaintiffs, Murphy-Brown owns over 20,000 swine located at Vestal Farms in…