{"id":434879,"date":"2026-08-17T00:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T00:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/434879\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T00:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T00:18:16","slug":"california-farmer-loses-court-battle-against-fruit-giant-giumarra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/434879\/","title":{"rendered":"California farmer loses court battle against fruit giant Giumarra"},"content":{"rendered":"

A California farmer who made national headlines<\/a> when he gave away thousands of nectarines for free<\/a> lost his case over ownership of his nectarine crop in Fresno County Superior Court<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The farmer Cesar Mora from Reedley was ordered to destroy his trees last week, and on Thursday, his weekslong trial with Giumarra Brothers Fruit Company in Southern California ended.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleFarmer Cesar Mora gave away 125,000 pounds of nectarines for free in Reedley, Calif. amid an ongoing legal battle.<\/p>\n

Mora claimed agriculture giant Giumarra has blocked him from packing or selling the\u00a0stone fruit<\/a>\u00a0amid a dispute over ownership<\/a>, despite his insistence that he\u2019d personally grown the crop for the past decade.<\/p>\n

The legal case had been working its way through the courts since 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiumarra claims ownership of the variety of fruit Cesar grows and has sued him for breach of contract,\u201d according to a GoFundMe<\/a> for Mora. Mora disputes both the company\u2019s ownership claim and the validity of the contract, and is fighting back by suing Giumarra for fraud and misrepresentation.<\/p>\n

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\"CesarFarming has been part of Mora\u2019s family for generations.<\/p>\n

A jury deliberated for three hours before getting back with a verdict, rejecting Mora\u2019s claims that Giumarra didn\u2019t make good on promises to him in exchange for growing its white nectarines. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the produce company argued that Mora violated an agreement they had by selling fruit to another supplier.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the jury decided Mora did go against his contract, but also determined that he shouldn\u2019t have to pay anything to Giumarra Brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m done. I mean, they came knocking on my door,\u201d Mora told ABC30 Action News<\/a>. \u201cSo, how can I have a company that\u2019s going out and trying to find small growers to sign them up for programs like this where all they do is harm me? They didn\u2019t do many any favors. They didn\u2019t do me any good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mora\u2019s lawyers told the TV station they will appeal. Mora was given until the end of October to destroy his nectarine trees. <\/p>\n

Mora\u2019s giveaway drew massive crowds, leading to a temporary shutdown by the California Highway Patrol for safety concerns as lines of cars piled up trying to get to the farm, KMPH reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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