The trial of Paul Kruse, a scion of the family that has run Blue Bell Creameries since 1919, has again been postponed.
Federal Judge Robert Pitman signed an order delaying jury selection by 140 days, now setting it on Aug. 1 immediately before the trial begins. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin has jurisdiction over the case.
Kruse headed the company in 2015 when an outbreak of Listeria infections traced to the firm’s ice cream sickened 10 and killed three.
Federal felony charges of conspiracy and fraud have been pending against Kruse since October 2020. This past year, his defense attorneys asked to delay the trial to 2022 because of their obligations for other clients.
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