FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — The legal battle involving Reedley farmer Cesar Mora, whose viral nectarine giveaway drew national attention, continued Tuesday in Fresno County Civil Court as attorneys prepared for a trial in a years-long contract dispute.<\/p>\n
Mora, who became widely known after giving away thousands of pounds of nectarines earlier this month, appeared in a Fresno County civil courtroom as proceedings moved forward in his lawsuit involving Los Angeles-based produce supplier Giumarra Brothers Fruit Company.<\/p>\n
“I should be picking them. But I’m not. All because of a giant ag corporation who is preventing me from doing anything with this crop,” Mora said in a social media video previously posted during the dispute.<\/p>\n
Attorneys from both sides had been scheduled to participate in a pretrial conference to discuss evidence and witness testimony ahead of trial. However, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Steven Crass postponed the proceedings after both parties filed a combined 17 last-minute motions, some submitted shortly before midnight Monday.<\/p>\n
Action News legal analyst Tony Capozzi said such filings are common as a case approaches trial.<\/p>\n
“You file a motion that says, judge, you should keep this evidence out because it’s irrelevant to this case. And the other way it can work for the other side is I want to bring evidence in, and I want to make sure you’re going to allow it now,” Capozzi said.<\/p>\n
Following more than an hour of closed-door discussions, Mora’s attorneys initiated settlement talks with Giumarra Brothers. Those negotiations ultimately failed.<\/p>\n
“If there’s a breach of contract, there may be some damages, and then there might be some punitive damages, punishment damages,” Capozzi said.<\/p>\n
“So it behooves the defense if they feel as though there’s a problem with the case to settle it,” he added.<\/p>\n
The dispute stems from a 2023 lawsuit filed by Giumarra Brothers, which alleges Mora violated an agreement by selling his white Monalise nectarines to another supplier.<\/p>\n
Unable to legally sell the crop during the litigation, Mora announced on social media that he would give away more than 100,000 pounds of nectarines instead.<\/p>\n
“Might as well give it away, the fruit’s great fruit, top quality fruit, it’s obviously in good condition or else I don’t think people would be out here wanting it,” Mora said at the time.<\/p>\n
His “No Nectarines Wasted” campaign attracted widespread attention and support, with supporters raising more than $60,000 that Mora said would be used to help pay legal expenses.<\/p>\n
“Really, it’s probably the most uplifting thing that’s happened in the last year or so,” Mora said.<\/p>\n
The case remains on track for trial as the two sides continue to dispute the alleged breach of contract and its financial consequences.<\/p>\n
For news updates, follow Vincent Camarillo on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n