Mississippi
Mississippi mother sues poultry factory where 16-year-old son died in workplace accident
The mother of a 16-year-old who died in a workplace accident at a Mississippi poultry factory is suing the companies that hired and employed him, accusing them of failing to follow safety standards that could have prevented his death.
In court papers filed at the Forest County Circuit Court last week, attorneys for Edilma Perez Ramirez said Mar-Jac Poultry skirted safety protections, leading to the death of her son Duvan Perez. The lawsuit follows a January report by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration that declared numerous safety violations related to the death of the teenager, who immigrated to Mississippi from Guatemala years ago.
PLANS FOR MASSIVE HOMELESS VILLAGE IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI PANICS RESIDENTS: ‘DON’T LET IT GO THROUGH’
“Mar-Jac and its affiliates have a long and sordid history of willful disregard for worker safety,” the lawsuit reads.
A Mar-Jac spokesperson did not respond to email and phone messages Tuesday. In previous statements, the company has said it relied on a staffing agency to hire workers and didn’t know Duvan was underage. Federal labor law bans the hiring of minors in several hazardous work sites, including slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants.
In July, Duvan became the third worker to die in less than three years at the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, plant owned by Mar-Jac, a Georgia-based poultry production company.
In 2020, 33-year-old Joel Velasco Toto died after a co-worker “inserted an air-compression hose into his rectum,” the lawsuit says. In 2021, 48-year-old Bobby Butler died after becoming entangled in a machine he was cleaning.
Mississippi mother of 16-year-old Duvan who died in a workplace accident, Edilma Perez Ramirez, alleged Mar-Jac Poultry skirted safety protections.
Workplace safety officials launched an investigation into Duvan’s death in July. OSHA investigators found that he was killed while performing a deep clean of a machine in the plant’s deboning area. He became caught in a still-energized machine’s rotating shaft and was pulled in, officials said.
The lawsuit says that Mar-Jac allowed Duvan to clean the equipment despite his age and alleged improper training.
Attorneys for Perez Ramirez also sued Onin Staffing, an Alabama-based company that does business in Mississippi. The staffing agency assigned Duvan to work at the plant even though it knew he was a minor, the lawsuit says. After Duvan’s death, Onin filed a notice with the state to avoid paying worker’s compensation,the lawsuit claims.
Onin did not respond to emailed questions Tuesday.
2 ARRESTED IN MISSISSIPPI AFTER BABY FOUND BEHIND DUMPSTERS OF MOBILE HOME PARK
Federal investigators said that plant managers should have ensured that workers disconnected the machine’s power and followed steps to prevent the machine from unintentionally starting up again during the cleaning. They cited Mar-Jac for workplace violations and proposed over $200,000 in penalties.
OSHA had issued at least eight citations for safety violations at the plant before Duvan’s death, the lawsuit says. These include the deaths of Toto and Butler, three amputations and a hospitalization due to a fall.
After the accident, Labor Department officials said Duvan’s death offered a reminder that children remain vulnerable to exploitation in the U.S. workplace.
In a written statement, Seth Hunter, one of Perez Ramirez’s attorneys, said Mar-Jac’s customers, including Chick-fil-A, should insist on improved working conditions or stop doing business with the company.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Duvan “was hardworking and loved his family,” Hunter said. “One of the things he was most proud of was paying for his first car himself. It is a tragedy that this young life was taken when his death was easily preventable.”
Mississippi
Thompson defeats Turnage to highlight U.S. House primaries in Mississippi – SuperTalk Mississippi
Political newcomer and Capitol Hill attorney Evan Turnage proved no match for longtime U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who defeated him and one other challenger to earn the Democratic nomination for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday.
Some politicos thought Turnage – who went to Yale and later worked for some of Thompson’s Democratic colleagues, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) – wouldn’t necessarily win but could make waves as one of the more viable candidates to challenge Thompson in recent years. However, that wasn’t the case as Thompson garnered approximately 85% of the vote when the race was called.
Thompson, 78, is seeking an 18th term. The civil rights leader who chaired the Jan. 6 Committee was first elected in 1993 and serves as a ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee. He will face either Ron Eller or Kevin Wilson on the Republican side, a race yet to be called as of late Tuesday night, and independent Bennie Foster in November’s general.
All of Mississippi’s U.S. House seats are up for grabs this year.
In the 1st Congressional District, Republican Rep. Trent Kelly ran unopposed, while civil rights attorney and University of Mississippi School of Law professor Cliff Johnson beat former state lawmaker Kelvin Buck in the Democratic primary. Libertarian challenger Johnny Baucom awaits Kelly and Johnson in the general.
In the 3rd Congressional District, both Republican Rep. Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Chiaradio ran unopposed. They will meet Libertarian Erik Kiehle in the general.
In the 4th Congressional District, Republican Rep. Mike Ezell had over 80% of the vote when his race was called against former Mississippi Department of Marine Resources officer and political staffer Sawyer Walters. State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum easily won the Democratic nomination over Paul Blackman and D. Ryan Grover. Ezell and Hulum will face independent Carl Boyanton in the general.
Arguably the most watched races of the night occurred in the state’s lone U.S. Senate seat in this year’s cycle. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith had no problem with Ocean Springs doctor Sarah Adlakha, seeing her name bolded around 30 minutes after the polls closed. It wasn’t long after that when Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom was announced the winner of the Democratic primary over Priscilla Till and Albert Littell. Independent Ty Pinkins will meet Hyde-Smith and Colom in the general on Nov. 3.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mississippi
Mississippi First Congressional District Primary 2026: Live Election Results, Buck vs. Johnson
Subscribe to Clarion Ledger: Local journalists covering local stories
Clarion Ledger journalists cover the important moments in Mississippi. Support local journalism by subscribing.
Staff
Sunday, March 15, 2026
1. (tie) “The Irish Goodbye,” Beth Ann Fennelly, Norton; and “Vigil,” George Saunders, Random House
2. “Theo of Golden,” Allen Levi, Atria Books
3. “The Widow,” John Grisham, Doubleday
4. “The Correspondent,” Virginia Evans, Random House
5. “When It’s Darkness on the Delta,” W. Ralph Eubanks, Beacon Press
6. “Eradication,” Jonathan Miles, Doubleday
7. “Neptune’s Fortune,” Julian Sancton, Random House
8. “The Dean,” Sparky Reardon, The Nautilus Publishing Company
9. “Kin,” Tayari Jones, Random House
10. “Brawler,” Lauren Groff, Riverhead
Children and young adults
1. “The Bear and the Hair and the Fair,” Em Lynas, Little Brown
2. “The Hybrid Prince,” Tui T. Sutherland, Scholastic Press
3. “One Mississippi,” Steve Azar,Sarah Frances Hardy (Illustrator), The Nautilus Publishing
4. “If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone,” Gideon Sterer, HarperCollins
5. (tie) “Fancy Nancy: Besties for Eternity,” Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator), HarperCollins; and “The Dark is For,” Jane Kohuth, Simon and Schuster
Adult events (Sunday, March 15–Saturday, March 21)
Amy McDowell in conversation with Jodi Skipper for “Whispers in the Pews,” 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Off Square Books, 129 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2262
Tayari Jones on Thacker Mountain Radio Hour for “Kin,” 6 p.m. Thursday, Off Square Books, 129 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2262
Children’s events (Sunday, March 15–Saturday, March 21)
No Cap Book Club (kids 10-13) will be reading “A Kid’s Book About…,” 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Storytime, “Clifford: Dream Big,” 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Chapter Captains Book Club (kids 6-9) will be reading “Princess in Black: Bathtime Battle,” 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Storytime, “What a Small Cat Needs,” 10:00 a.m. Saturday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Story Time, “Very Hungry Caterpillar” Day! 10 a.m. Saturday, Lemuria Books, 202 Banner Hall, 4465 I-55 North, Jackson, 601-366-7619
— Sales and/or Events Reported by Lemuria Books (Jackson); Lorelei Books (Vicksburg); Square Books (Oxford).
‘I am very sorry’: Health district board votes to ditch proposed septic regulations
Court hearing for Cher’s son on charges he broke into a New Hampshire home canceled
Scrap metal barge fire is under control, vessel moving to Camden
Route 66 stamps will make their debut later this year
NORTH DAKOTANS WIN NEARLY A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS – North Dakota Attorney General
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Reporter’s Notebook: Trump’s SAVE Act ultimatum runs into Senate reality
Not ‘a litre of oil’ to pass Strait of Hormuz, expect $200 price tag: Iran
Tornadoes hit Illinois, Indiana and Texas as severe storms sweep US
EXCLUSIVE: ICE says El Paso detention facility will stay open under new contractor after $1.2B deal scrapped
Von der Leyen ‘acting outside of competence,’ Araud tells Euronews
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Detroit, MI5 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Pennsylvania6 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Miami, FL7 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project
-
Sports7 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death
-
Michigan2 days agoOperation BBQ Relief helping with Southwest Michigan tornado recovery
-
Virginia1 week agoGiants will hold 2026 training camp in West Virginia