Indoor farming company 80 Acres Farms, which announced earlier this month that it is shutting down, is facing multiple lawsuits, including one filed by former employees who say they were terminated without
advance notice as required by federal law.
A lawsuit filed Aug. 6 in federal court in Delaware on behalf of four former employees is seeking class action status. It says the four plaintiffs are among approximately 500 employees who lost their jobs as part of mass layoffs or plant closings ordered by the company.
The suit names four former employees, two of whom worked at the company’s facility in San Antonio, Texas, another at a facility in Aurora, Colorado, and the fourth at the company’s headquarters in Hamilton, Ohio.
Court documents say 80 Acres had facilities in eight states – Ohio, Texas, South Carolina, Colorado, Kentucky, Washington, Georgia and Indiana. Its products were sold in more than 17,000 stores across the country, including Kroger, Meijer and Walmart.
Allegations in the employees' lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, the employees in San Antonio found out about their terminations on July 30. The employee in Colorado found out Aug. 3. The employee in Hamilton, a senior engineer, received an email Aug. 4, saying the company was ceasing operations.
The lawsuit says 80 Acres failed to give its employees 60 days advance notice that they would be losing their jobs. That 60-day notice is required, according to the lawsuit, under a federal law known as the WARN Act.
It says 80 Acres offered severance agreements to some employees, promising three weeks of pay, but never followed through.
A spokesman for 80 Acres could not be reached for comment. Its cofounder and CEO Mike Zelkind did not respond to a message seeking comment.
More than $900K owed
Two other lawsuits allege that 80 Acres owes more than $900,000 to two companies.
A local staffing company that provided workers for 80 Acres facilities in four states says 80 Acres owes it more than $687,000 for staffing services.
The Job Center, based in Symmes Township, says in a lawsuit filed Aug. 7 in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court that it wasn't paid for April, May, June or July of this year.
Another lawsuit filed in July in California alleges that 80 Acres owes more than $230,000 to a company that supplied it with produce.
What happened to 80 Acres?
On Aug. 3, 80 Acres announced that it would cease operations, saying it had run out of money to fund its business. A government filing a few days later revealed the company had been prepared to sell itself to an undisclosed rival before the deal fell through abruptly.
The vertical farming company’s sudden demise was a sharp turn for a venture that had grown through a string of acquisitions in a turbulent industry. In August 2025, the company announced its takeover of Virginia-based Soli Organic that was expected to increase combined sales to $200 million.
Founded in 2015, 80 Acres grew lettuce, herbs and other produce using LED lighting indoors in controlled, pesticide-free environments. It sold popular salad kits in more than 1,000 Kroger stores. After the Soli merger, it increased distribution to more than 17,000 stores, including Walmart, Meijer and H-E-B.
While 80 Acres appeared to thrive with consumers interested in healthier foods grown close to home, several challenges emerged in recent years. Those included rising grocery prices that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and got worse as gas prices spiked in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The U.S. war with Iran has kept gas prices high and fanned further inflation fears.
The company has also been challenged by a cyclosporiasis outbreak this summer, which sickened more than 10,000 consumers and was blamed for depressed lettuce sales.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: After shutdown announcement, terminated employees sue 80 Acres
