Trial for Pilgrim’s Pride CEO Penn delayed to February

DENVER and GREELEY — A federal judge has delayed the price-fixing trial of Pilgrim’s Pride CEO Jayson Penn to next year after both prosecutors and Penn’s defense attorneys asked for more preparation time.

U.S. District Court Judge Philip Brimmer approved a joint motion from federal prosecutors and Penn’s attorneys to declare the case as complex, a legal term denoting litigation that spans multiple jurisdictions, disputes large amounts of money or deals with multiple issues. That motion waived Penn’s right to a trial within 180 days.

The trial is now set to begin at 8 a.m. on Feb. 16, 2021, at the federal courthouse in Denver. Pre-trial motions are due by Dec. 28 of this year.

Penn and four other chicken-industry executives were indicted by a grand jury in June. Federal prosecutors say the group conspired to lower their bids to restaurant suppliers and large-scale food processors between 2012 and 2017. Penn has since pleaded not guilty and has taken a leave of absence from the company to focus on legal defense.

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