¶ Valadao Touts Being The Only Dairy Farmer In Congress Despite His Dairy Going Bankrupt, Being Named In A Labor Lawsuit, And Being Held Primarily Responsible For The Loss Of Part Of A Workers Arm
¶ Valadao Touts That He Was The Only Dairy Farmer In Congress
Valadao Brought Milk To His Colleague, Saying “As The Only Dairyman In Congress, I’ll Never Miss An Opportunity To Share A Taste Of The Central Valley.” According to Rep. David Valadao’s Twitter, “To kick off National Dairy Month, I visited @HouseAgGOP Chairman @CongressmanGT to deliver a Central Valley favorite—flavored milk. As the only dairyman in Congress, I'll never miss an opportunity to share a taste of the Central Valley with my friends in Washington.”
[Twitter, @RepDavidValadao, 6/5/26]
Valadao’s Campaign Site Advertises Valadao As A Farmer With Experience On His Family Farm, Including Two Dairies And Farm Land In Kings County. According to Valadao For Congress’ “Meet David” Page, “Farmer Valadao works on the family farm which consists of two dairies as well as farmland in Kings County, on which they grow alfalfa, almonds, corn, and wheat.”
[Valadao For Congress – Meet David, viewed 8/5/26]
Valadao Called Himself “Congress’ Only Dairy Farmer.” According to a press release from Congressman David G. Valadao, "‘As the Representative for America’s largest dairy producing counties and Congress’ only dairy farmer, I know firsthand the challenges the men and women in the dairy industry face every day,’ said Congressman Valadao. ‘But like all our agricultural producers in the Valley, dairy farmers continue to produce America’s dairy products, care for their animals, and support their communities.’" [Press Release – Congressman David G. Valadao, 6/6/23]
¶ Valadao Filed For Bankruptcy Due To Unpaid Debts And Employment Lawsuits Related To His Dairy Farm
2017: Valadao Was Sued Along With Triple V Dairy And Two Star Dairy By Rabobank Over Unpaid Loans, At Least $6 Million Of Which Valadao Personally Signed Off On Since He Was Sworn In To Congress In 2013. According to Fresno Bee, "His family’s Triple V Dairy and Two Star Dairy were sued along with David Valadao by Rabobank in November 2017 over unpaid loans, which eventually led to Triple V going bankrupt. Documents show Valadao personally signed off on at least five loans totaling $6 million from Rabobank since he was sworn in as a congressman in 2013. When Valadao’s congressional office was previously asked about those debts, a spokeswoman for him repeatedly said he could not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the farm due to congressional ethics. His last financial disclosure form as a candidate, filed in 2018, listed no value to the farm but income of more than $5 million. Before that, Valadao said his stake in the farm was worth between $1 million and $5 million." [Fresno Bee, 9/26/19]
2018: Triple V Dairy Was Auctioned Due To More Than $8 Million In Unpaid Debts To Rabobank. According to Fresno Bee, “A dairy owned by Hanford Rep. David Valadao and his family appears headed for the auction block, as creditors have taken control of the day-to-day operations and have begun selling off cattle and equipment to pay back more than $8 million in unpaid loans. In November, Rabobank sued Triple V Dairy in Fresno County Superior Court, alleging two loans totaling about $8.3 million had gone unpaid. The lawsuit names Triple V, located east of Corcoran; the Republican congressman; five of his family members; two other businesses, Lone Star Dairy and Two Star Dairy; and 50 unnamed defendants. Court documents dated March 28 show that both sides agreed that Rabobank would take control of Triple V Dairy until its sale can be negotiated. Rabobank appointed John Van Curen, president of Old West Ranch Company in Fresno, as its agent to handle the day-to-day affairs at Triple V.” [Fresno Bee, 6/12/18]
2018: Triple V Dairy And The Valadao Family Were Also Listed In A Lawsuit In San Joaquin County For More Than $1 Million In Unpaid Debts To Lawley’s Inc. According to Fresno Bee, “Triple V and the Valadao family are also being sued in a separate lawsuit in San Joaquin County. Lawley's Inc. alleges the dairy owes more than $1 million in unpaid fee bills. That case has yet to move as far through the courts, but an April 9 filing shows that Jose Dimas Valadao and Mary Jane Valadao – who are both defendants in the Rabobank case – have filed for bankruptcy. They estimated their assets were worth between $1 million and $10 million and their liabilities from Triple V and Two Star dairies to be between $10 million and $50 million.” [Fresno Bee, 6/12/18]
2019: Valadao And Triple V Dairy Both Filed For Bankruptcy, Partially Because Of Employment Lawsuits Accusing Valadao Of Denying Breaks, Minimum Wage, And Overtime Pay. According to Visalia Times-Delta, "Valadao and one of his diaries, Triple V Dairy, both filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019. Valadao agreed to pay $325,000 to employees who claimed that they were denied breaks, minimum wage and overtime pay. Valadao's campaign called the employees' lawsuit ‘frivolous’ at the time, saying it was cheaper to settle than litigate the case amid the bankruptcy proceedings. However, the former congressman avoided the court-mandated obligation to the farmworkers after the bankruptcy cleared last April and Rabobank seized the dairy in 2018." [Visalia Times-Delta, 2/19/20]
- A Settlement To Employees Was Not Paid After Valadao And Triple V Dairy Declared Bankruptcy. According to Fresno Bee, "Former Rep. David Valadao’s family farm has not paid a $325,000 settlement it agreed to with workers who accused the farm of denying them minimum wage and overtime pay. The case closed without payment to the workers in in April after the dairy declared bankruptcy, according to Santos Gomez, an attorney for the workers, and confirmed by Valadao’s campaign. The Hanford Republican has said he was not involved with the day-to-day operations of the dairy while he served in the House of Representatives. Documents show Valadao signed for about $6 million in loans to the dairy while he held office." [Fresno Bee, 9/26/19]
¶ Valadao Dairy Was Found 80% Responsible For A Worker Having Part Of His Arm Cut Off
2016: A Worker At Valadao Dairy Lost Part Of His Arm In An Accident While Cleaning A Machine On The Farm. According to Visalia Times-Delta, "Former Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), who Cox narrowly defeated in 2018, is embroiled in a lawsuit concerning a 2016 accident at his family dairy where an employee's hand was severed. […] The Hanford native's family dairy, Valadao Dairy, remains operational. However, the farm faces legal questions after one of its employees, Carlos Martinez Ocampo, lost part of his arm in 2016 in an industrial accident involving equipment at the dairy. A portion of Ocampo's arm was cut off after the employee slipped and fell while cleaning manure and landed in an auger in a manure separator." [Visalia Times-Delta, 2/19/20]
Valadao Had A Role In Purchasing The Equipment And Was Called As A Witness In The Trial. According to Fresno Bee, "Valadao was not involved in the farm’s day-to-day operations at the time of the accident. Years earlier, before he was elected to Congress, Valadao had a role in purchasing the equipment. He was called as a witness in the civil trial and pressed in court about the dairy’s employee training." [Fresno Bee, 2/11/20]
- A Representative From U.S. Farm Systems Testified He Told Valadao The Power Should Be Turned Off On The Machine For Maintenance But Valadao Denied That He Had Been Told The Information And The Farm Could Not Provide Legally Required Training Records. According to Fresno Bee, "Reajan Houle, the representative from U.S. Farm Systems, testified that he told David Valadao in 2002 the power should be turned off whenever a worker went up on the top platform. That’s where Ocampo was was[sic] when he fell. ‘I am a hundred percent certain of that,’ Houle said. He said he repeated that to David Valadao when a second auger was installed in 2005, and told him how ‘dangerous’ the machine could be. David Valadao denied he had been told that. He also said that they typically left training up to the insurance company, and that he had never trained employees personally. The message to turn the auger off may have never gotten to Ocampo. According to court transcripts, the Valadaos could not produce training records for the manure separator, which are required by law. Ocampo in court said he was never formally trained on the machine, although a dairy supervisor in an August deposition said he had instructed Ocampo on safety precautions, including telling him to turn it off while cleaning it." [Fresno Bee, 2/11/20]
- Valadao, When Asked If He Understood An Employer’s Responsibility To Implement Worker Safety Protocols During The Trial, Said “Well, Yeah, Today.” According to Fresno Bee, "During court testimony, an attorney asked if David Valadao understood it was the employer’s responsibility to implement that protocol. ‘Well, yeah, today,’ David Valadao responded." [Fresno Bee, 2/11/20]
2019: Courts Found Valadao Dairy Was 80% Responsible For The Accident. According to Visalia Times-Delta, "A Kings County jury found that Valadao Dairy was mostly responsible for the October 2016 accident, which happened just a few weeks before Valadao was elected for his third term. Valadao had no involvement in the day-to-day operation of the dairy at that time, according to court records. The jury ultimately found that Valadao Dairy was 80% responsible for the accident while Tulare company U.S. Farm Systems, who manufactured the equipment, was 20% responsible. Valadao and his worker's compensation insurance company contest that November 2019 ruling, but a Kings County judge is delaying the appeal until the state Workers Compensation Appeals Board hears Ocampo's claim and makes a determination on the employee's lifetime earning potential loss." [Visalia Times-Delta, 2/19/20]
- A CAL/OSHA Investigation Found The Dairy For Not Providing Training And Instruction On The Machine To Ocampo And Cited Them For Failing To Provide Necessary Guardrails. According to Visalia Times-Delta, “A CAL/OSHA investigation found that the dairy ‘did not provide training and instruction’ to Ocampo on the machine's operation. The agency also cited the dairy for failing to ‘provide guardrails on all open sides of unenclosed elevated work locations’ where Ocampo fell. The state agency levied $13,275 in fines that were later negotiated down to $6,450 and paid in May 2017, records show.” [Visalia Times-Delta, 2/19/20]