Judge blocks lawsuit against OSHA over refusal to inspect Pennsylvania Maid-Rite food processing plant during pandemic US District Judge Malachy Mannion of Scranton, Pennsylvania dismissed a lawsuit March 30 that was brought by three anonymous employees of the Maid-Rite Specialty Foods meatpacking plant in Dunmore. The lawsuit was against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for failing to adequately inspect the plant where more than half of the workforce contracted COVID-19. Mannion asserted that he lacked the legal authority to order the agency to enforce safety protocols at the facility. The dismissal of the lawsuit serves as an illustration of how all levels of government have colluded to keep workers on the job during a deadly pandemic without regard to the dangers posed to thier health under conditions where basic safety measures are not enforced. The ruling by the judge provides another green light to employers to disregard workers’ health and safety, knowing they will be protected from any serious consequences.