Thermo Fisher Accused of Selling Mexico Plant Under Siege

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. was accused by the buyers of its laboratory furniture factory in Reynosa, Mexico, of failing to disclose that the plant was “under siege” by the Gulf Cartel.

OpenGate Capital Group LLC accused Thermo Fisher of fraudulent misrepresentation among other claims in a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in Los Angeles.

“The Reynosa facility was under siege and the subject of repeated, near-daily security breaches by members of the Gulf Cartel, an intimidating and violent criminal syndicate and drug trafficking organization,” OpenGate Capital said in the complaint.

OpenGate Capital, a private investment and acquisition firm, said in October it had bought the Laboratory Workstations business from Thermo Fisher.

Ron O’Brien, a spokesman for Waltham, Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The case is OpenGate Capital Group LLC v. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO), 13-03368, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Edvard Pettersson in the Los Angeles federal court house at +1- epettersson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net.