OAKLAND, CALIF. – Suprema Meats, a California meatpacker and distributor, refuted allegations of flouting local laws after the Oakland City Attorney’s office named the company and its owner, Miguel E. Jara, Jr., in a lawsuit as a public nuisance. The city is seeking an injunction to stop the company from operating.

The complaint states that, among other issues, Suprema Meats has “begun operating at increasingly early morning hours.” The company’s truck activity “causes a vibration that shakes neighbors’ homes and causes neighbors to lose sleep on a nearly daily basis.”

“Suprema’s business has grown significantly in recent years, but instead of moving its operations to a location that could accommodate the growth, Suprema has expanded its operations to the early morning hours, to unpermitted outdoor structures on its property, to an unpermitted warehouse across the street, and to the public roadways and sidewalks surrounding its facility,” according to the complaint.

During the day, Suprema operates forklifts, loading and unloading pallets, opening and closing a heavy gate and workers yelling to each other, according to the complaint. The city alleges that delivery trucks park and idle on city streets surrounding the business “…and use the roadways and sidewalks as their loading zone.”

“Suprema Meats has been using the legal process to delay complying with local laws while they continue to cause harm to the community surrounding them,” said Oakland City Attorney Ryan Richardson in a press statement. “That stops today. It is unfair to neighbors and law-abiding businesses when companies like Suprema flout City ordinances to maximize profits. Residents have a reasonable expectation to regular quiet hours and streets that are clear of obstructions.”

Speaking to The Oaklandside, Michael McGrew, an attorney representing Suprema, said the company wants to work with city officials on a new compliance plan to resolve the current issues. The company has denied any wrongdoing.

The city is seeking civil penalties and the appointment of a receiver to take possession of the properties at issue and develop a plan to abate the nuisance.