Judge Acquits 10 in Backer Beer Poisoning Case for Lack of Individual Proof

Overview

• Ten defendants, including three co-owners and six technicians, were cleared after the court found the prosecution failed to individualize criminal conduct.
• The sentence attributes the contamination to a manufacturing defect, a hole in a cooling tank that allowed a toxic agent to leak into the beer.
• Investigators identified monoethylene glycol and diethylene glycol as the contaminants tied to the 2020 outbreak that killed ten people and seriously injured sixteen.
• The judge noted direct oversight of the refrigeration system lay with a deceased technical manager and an operations chief who was not indicted.
• Cervejaria Três Lobos remains civilly liable for compensation, yet agreed payouts to victims are suspended because the company is in judicial recovery.