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“We’ve had a lot of support from suppliers, our lender and people who work for us. All of a sudden, we had 1,700 acres and nothing to grow on it,” Underwood said, adding that the grower had to lay off 45 people. “The aftermath of the breakup has been really hard. Underwood said that now that the suit is over, his team just wants to get the farm back to normal. “As far as the financial impact of the verdict on the client, the company is going to continue to conduct business as usual.” We’re going to challenge it post-trial in motions and then ultimately on appeal,” Martin said. “Obviously, we disagree with the verdict. Michael Martin, a lawyer representing Huy Fong, said the manufacturer’s legal team plans to fight the decision. Underwood also was awarded $10 million in punitive damages. The $1.5 million overpayment sought by Huy Fong was deducted and awarded to the Sriracha maker. In ruling in favor of Underwood Ranches, the jury granted $14.8 million for financial losses it sustained in 20. “When the verdict came down, there was a lot of celebrating. We felt we had been wronged, so we were hoping we could right that through the court,” said Underwood, who manages the Camarillo farm. “It certainly isn’t our nature to give up. The trial, which began in early June, came to a close last week when a civil jury determined that Irwindale-based Huy Fong breached its contract with the chile grower and committed fraud by intentionally misrepresenting and concealing information. The family-owned Underwood farm was once the exclusive supplier of the chile peppers at the core of Huy Fong’s rooster-labeled sauces. After the collapse of a nearly 30-year partnership with the maker of the world-famous Sriracha sauce and a multimillion-dollar lawsuit with the company, Craig Underwood is still betting on his farm’s peppers.Ī jury recently awarded $23.3 million to Underwood Ranches after a bitter lawsuit with Huy Fong Foods Inc., the manufacturer of the wildly popular Sriracha in the signature green-capped bottle.