Filmmaker says he wasn’t ‘yes man’ for either side in case saying Dole workers became sterile

Filmmaker in Dole case: I was never a ‘yes man’

LOS ANGELES — A filmmaker whose interviews in Nicaragua are a critical issue in whether a multimillion dollar judgment against Dole Foods will be dismissed insists he “wasn’t here to be a yes man” for either side in the dispute over damage to banana workers.

Jason Glaser acknowledged during testimony in Los Angeles on Friday that he was working undercover for lawyers representing workers who claim pesticides made them sterile. But he said his tapes of mysterious “John Doe” witnesses may have helped or harmed either side in the lawsuit.

Jurors awarded six plaintiffs $2.3 million in 2007, but Dole investigators uncovered evidence that some Nicaraguans suing the company had lied.

Judge Victoria Chaney adjourned three days of hearings Friday and ordered arguments Monday before she decides whether to overturn the verdict.