The estate of a Marshalltown man who died of COVID-19 in May 2020 has dropped its wrongful death lawsuit against six JBS executives, according to publicly available court records.

The suit, originally filed in April of 2022, contended that a “superhero lunch” for JBS Marshalltown employees on March 25, 2020, shortly after Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a public health disaster emergency that limited gatherings to 10 people due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately resulted in Jose Andrade-Garcia being hospitalized and passing away on May 15, 2020. On March 31, 2026, Attorney Brent Welder, who was representing the plaintiffs in the case, dismissed the claims against defendants including Chris Gaddis, Bob Krebs, Todd Carl, Bradley Comstock, Nicholas Aguirre, and Tyler Devick with prejudice, meaning the matter cannot be re-litigated in the future, and court costs were assessed to the plaintiffs.

At presstime, Welder and a corporate communications specialist for JBS USA had not responded to requests for comment. The filings do not specify whether an out of court settlement was reached. Before the dismissal, a jury trial had been scheduled to begin on Sept. 15, 2026, in Marshall County District Court.