A California federal judge on Thursday rejected Former Bumble Bee CEO Chris Lischewski's calls for a mistrial for his role in a price-fixing scandal involving former employees from his own company, Starkist and Chicken of the Sea International (COSI), reports Law360.
Lischewski's lawyers have been questioning the credibility of testimony of several Department of Justice (DOJ) witnesses in the case, as well as DOJ's interview tactics since the trial started on Nov. 4.
Lischewski’s attorneys urged US District Judge Edward Chen to grant a mistrial, arguing that prosecutors improperly launched into a line of cross-examination “unquestionably calculated to elicit testimony” about a letter written by a former Bumble Bee Foods LLC employee sounding the alarm on possible antitrust violations at the company, reports the news site.
Chen told the court he found nothing "purposeful or egregious," the news site reports.
Earlier this week, Lischewski admitted to receiving non-public information from competitors through his employees in his testimony.
If convicted Lischewski faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10 million (€9.1 million).
