The legal tussle between Tyson Foods and Cody Easterday is not complete, even as Easterday reported to federal prison last week to begin his 11-year sentence.
Easterday, who pleaded guilty to a $244 million “ghost cattle” scheme that unraveled in late 2020 and drug his family’s businesses into bankruptcy, is now suing Tyson over its alleged failure to comply with a separate beef branding deal. Easterday claims a personal branding agreement allowed Tyson to sell premium “Cody’s Beef” products to Nippon Ham in Japan in a marketing program that ran between 2015 and 2020.
The Spokane Spokesman-Review reports that as Easterday reported to the Federal Correctional Institute Lompoc in California, his lawyers have sued Tyson for breach of contract and they continue to fight the $244 million in restitution Easterday was ordered to pay.
That suit is separate from the Easterday Farms and Ranches bankruptcy case, which was recently concluded. The Spokesman-Review reports a final tally for lawyer’s fees was approved for the bankruptcy case at $14.75 million.
Related stories:
Easterday Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Tyson
DOJ Recommends 10-Year Sentence for Easterday
