California Farmer Gives Away Nectarines Amid Contract Dispute with Fruit Company

A California farmer has been ordered to destroy his fruit orchard after giving away thousands of pounds of nectarines amid a three-year legal dispute with Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co., Owen Scott reported for The Independent.

California farmer Cesar Mora gave away nectarines during a legal dispute with Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co. [Photo: No Nectarines Wasted - Carlos Mora Facebook]

Cesar Mora has been fighting Giumarra Brothers over allegations that he breached his contract with the company by selling fruit to another buyer. Amid the dispute, Mora chose to give away the nectarines he had grown rather than allow them to go to waste. 

On Aug. 13, a Fresno County Superior Court jury found that Mora had breached his contract, although Giumarra was awarded no damages, according to court documents cited by The Independent and the Fresno Bee. 

Mora said in a video posted to TikTok that a judge had ordered his trees destroyed before the trial began. He later told the Fresno Bee that he was unsure whether he would continue farming.

“Boy, they're not gonna take the trees out easily,” Mora said.

He also criticized the treatment of growers, saying he did not want to continue farming in an industry where, in his view, companies could use the legal system against producers. Giumarra attorney John Migliazzo praised the jury's decision.