(NEW YORK) — The owner of a Kentucky candle factory that was destroyed in a deadly tornado last year is facing another lawsuit from workers alleging they were threatened with termination if they left before the disaster struck.

Nine people were killed when a late-season tornado hit the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield on Dec. 10, 2021.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Graves County, several employees who were working that night allege the company “refused” to let them leave “even though it had at least three hours of notice of the danger this tornado posed to its place of business and to its employees.”

The plaintiffs include the family members of three workers who died in the disaster.

Several of the workers have also joined a class-action lawsuit against the company that has not yet been resolved.

In the latest lawsuit, the workers allege that Mayfield Consumer Products “repeatedly threatened to terminate” any employee who left due to the expected tornado, did not train the employees in emergency safety protocols and that there was only one hallway and two restrooms for its 110 employees to shelter in during the tornado.

The lawsuit further alleges that the company “defamed the character” of employees who gave interviews to news organizations about their experience.

The lawsuit accuses the company of false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress and is seeking unspecified damages.

Mayfield Consumer Products’ legal counsel did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. The company has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

A group of workers represented by Elijah Johnson, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, also alleged in a filing with the National Labor Relations Board last month that the company retaliated against them for participating in an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation earlier this year by refusing to pay their medical bills, the plaintiffs’ attorneys said.

The OSHA probe led to $40,000 in fines for seven violations, the attorneys said.
MORE: Kentucky factory survivor trapped 4 hours under rubble retells ABC News’ David Muir his harrowing rescue, thanks first responders

In a statement to WKMS-TV following the filing, Mayfield Consumer Products’ legal counsel denied Johnson’s allegations and noted that Johnson was told not to leave because a shelter-in-place policy was in effect.

“This confirms that MCP complied with federal and state law, which requires employers to ensure that employees shelter in place during hazardous weather events,” the statement said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Every year, an estimated 45 billion menstrual products are used around the world, with each person who menstruates generating more than 400 pounds of waste in their lifetime, according to an article from Plastic Oceans International.

It’s an environmental crisis that rarely gets talked about, due to the stigma around periods themselves, August CEO Nadya Okamoto, told ABC News. The New York-based startup claims they are trying to meet consumers’ preferences with their line of more sustainable pads and tampons.

“Because of the period stigma, there hasn’t been the same level of accountability,” Okamoto said.

Okamoto said August’s products decompose at faster rates than the standard tampons and pads, but admits they aren’t perfect. The organization’s tampon applicators are still made of plastic which, while they may be recyclable, depending on the jurisdiction, often get discarded in the trash.

“Applicators are very much a U.S. thing. I know in Europe and in places overseas, digital tampons, non-applicator tampons, are a lot more of the norm. A lot of this is from embedded fear of touching your own period blood,” Okamoto said.

The company’s tampons and pads are made of organic cotton and fully biodegradable within 12 months, Okamoto said.

But some argue that products ending up in landfills outweighs the potential benefits of using sustainable materials.

“A landfill is intended to entomb these products forever and ever, so it doesn’t really matter if it’s 500 years or three years,” Dr. Susan Powers told ABC News.

Powers studies the life cycle of period products, from extraction of materials to decomposition. She advocates for the use of reusable products over single use.

“Cardboard or no applicator is a far better choice. Plastics are recyclable, and they’ve got their little triangle on them. Well, it’s not recyclable everywhere. In general, the reusable is always going to be far superior to any disposable,” Powers said.

August argues that even in conditions where products aren’t able to degrade, using organic, biodegradable and compostable materials still reduces water usage and overall carbon emissions.

ABC News has reached out to leading tampon and pad manufactures about issues of sustainability and concerns that their products contribute to overflowing landfills and the environmental problems caused by that. They have not responded.

Single-use tampons and pads are by far the most popular choice for Americans today, but alternative options, like period underwear and menstrual cups, are gaining traction. However, the initial cost for these reusable products often sways people from making the eco-friendly switch.

In the meantime, Okamoto wants to bring more awareness to the lack of sustainability in traditional period products.

“How do we brainstorm the most sustainable solution that people will actually use as we push the whole industry to be more sustainable?” Okamoto said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — J. Alexander Kueng, a former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s back during the fatal May 2020 arrest, was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison Friday.

Kueng, 29, had pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in second-degree manslaughter in October as part of an agreement with prosecutors. A second charge of aiding and abetting in second-degree unintentional murder will be dismissed against Kueng as part of his plea agreement.

“We appreciate very much that Mr. Kueng plead guilty,” said prosecutor Matthew Frank at the sentencing.

“We hope the conclusion of this case reaffirms that peace officers cannot treat citizens in crisis as non-people, or second-class citizens,” Frank added.

The plea was announced just as a joint state trial for Kueng and Tou Thao, another officer, was to begin with jury selection.

“J. Alexander Kueng is now the second officer involved in Floyd’s death to accept responsibility through a guilty plea. That acknowledgement hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd’s family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in an October statement on the plea deal.

Floyd’s death ignited protests nationwide against police brutality and systemic racism.

“We must never forget the horror of what we all saw in that 9-minute video, and that there rightfully should be both accountability for all involved as well as deep lessons learned for police officers and communities everywhere,” said the legal team for George Floyd’s family, led by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, in an October statement on Kueng’s plea deal in October.

Both Kueng and Thao, 34, are currently serving federal sentences after being convicted in February on federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights. Kueng’s sentence from today will be served concurrently with his federal sentence.

The two were found guilty of depriving Floyd of his “constitutional right to be free from an officer’s unreasonable force when each willfully failed to intervene to stop … [Derek] Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force.”

Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, was found guilty on three counts in Floyd’s death: Second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes.

He had been sentenced to 22.5 years.

Chauvin had additionally been sentenced to 21 years on federal civil rights charges in Floyd’s death.

Thao waived a jury trial and his state charges will be decided by a judge. According to MPR, Judge Peter Cahill will review evidence received by Nov. 17 and has 90 days to decide the case, according to MPR News.

A third defendant, former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, was also convicted on federal civil rights charges stemming from Floyd’s death. Lane pleaded guilty to state charges of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Editor’s note: J. Alexander Kueng, a former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s back during the fatal arrest, is set to be sentenced Friday. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the sentencing had already happened.

ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.