Pennsylvania's Dauphin County Senior Judge Warren G. Morgan September 4 issued an injunction to halt the sale of confectionery giant Hershey Foods

Food & Drink Weekly, Sept 9, 2002

Pennsylvania's Dauphin County Senior Judge Warren G. Morgan September 4 issued an injunction to halt the sale of confectionery giant Hershey Foods until the court has an opportunity to consider the economic and social issues raised by the Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher. Fisher insists that any public sale of Hershey would leave its hometown community in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to suffer irreparable harm with layoffs amongst Hershey's 6,200 employees.

It would also mean a decrease in the tax base. He filed for an injunction on August 23 in Dauphin County Orphans Court, following reports that a sale could be reached within weeks as potential buyers were already touring the company's plants in preparation for making an offer. This decision is unlikely to block a sale in the long term, but until Judge Morgan can hold further hearings, the sales process will be prolonged.