A poll on local perceptions of the January 4 search warrant for Amos Miller’s Pennsylvania farm found that 85.3% thought it was “government overreach.”
But Miller may be feeling even warmer and fuzzy about having raised $202,460 from friends and supporters since Jan. 4 toward his current goal of $350,000. is high.
The current fundraising is to support the state civil lawsuit Miller is facing regarding the Jan. 4 search warrant. His first court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on February 29th before Judge Sponaugle in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Miller also reminded supporters that they are “welcome to join.”
Raising money when the subject of a lawsuit is not new to Miller. In a recent federal lawsuit concluded last year, Mr. Miller raised more than $500,000 from his network of supporters.
Miller recently wrote on her current fundraising website: Currently, we are not allowed to sell any raw dairy products. It breaks my heart to know that Pennsylvania has to turn away so many people who rely on us for the food we rely on for our health. This judgment was handed down before our attorney, Robert Burns, made any arguments or statements on our behalf. We hope and pray that he can present the truth in court and serve your needs again. ”
- Until a Feb. 29 hearing, Mr. Miller, his wife, and various businesses will be prohibited from manufacturing or selling raw milk and raw milk products due to “immediate and irreparable injury.”
State Judge Thomas Sponagy’s order comes after the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, which has a civil case pending in court, said Miller and its operating companies are endangering the public health with unpasteurized raw milk and unregulated milk. The company granted the request to be permanently barred from selling the product.
The judge’s order also requires that Miller and his companies be given full access by the state Department of Agriculture to his records and test products.
Miller must also notify customers that its products have been found to be the cause of two recent outbreaks of food poisoning. The judge also ordered Miller to notify customers that raw milk collected from Miller’s farm on January 4 tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes under a search warrant.
The attorney general charged Miller with violating several state food safety laws.
Mr. Miller was the latest defendant in a federal civil lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) since 2016. The federal subpoena ended with Miller and his lawyers signing a lengthy consent decree in 2023 pledging to comply with food safety laws.
In 2016, Miller’s raw milk was found to be genetically similar to the bacteria found in two cases of listeriosis, including a fatal case.
Mr. Miller at one point argued in federal court that he was not subject to federal jurisdiction because he was a “sovereign people.”
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