WASHINGTON - The Washington County business owner who went to court over criticisms he filled his staff with cheap Haitian labor is acting like a "big baby," says the man he sued.
Earlier this month, Andrew Armbruster filed his responses to questions from David Barbe, who sued Armbruster in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas in November. At the heart of the lawsuit is the influx of Haitian immigrants to Charleroi.
Barbe owns Fourth Street Barbeque, a packer of food products that uses a recruiting firm to recruit and vet immigrants for work. Fourth Street employs more than 1,000 legal immigrants, many of whom are from Haiti, in Charleroi.
The increase in Haitians in Charleroi has come under the program CHNV Parole, which allows up to 30,000 nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to apply for residence in the United States each month, American Compass reports.
The influx of immigrants in Charleroi gained the attention of President Donald Trump, who stated during an Arizona rally that Pennsylvanians should keep the 2,000% increase of Haitian immigrants in Charleroi in mind when they vote.
Barbe's lawsuit says Haitians have been unfairly accused of stealing and eating pets and blamed for an increase in crime. One subject of his case is a video Armbruster posted to X that said jobs at Fourth Street used to be held by "native Americans."
Plus, an article in Southwest PA News quoted Armbruster's worries about a "grand scheme to displace and replace American citizens with cheap immigrant labor."
Armbruster asserts Barbe is a public figure for the purposes of Barbe's defamation case, which would afford Armbruster a stronger defense. Interrogatories asked Armbruster to explain why Barbe would be considered one.
"The operative complaint admits it or otherwise he is being a 'big baby' since the operative complaint never mentions that I ever mentioned him in its allegations," Armbruster answered.
"It alleges that I discussed Fourth Street and that somehow magically became the Plaintiff who isn't Fourth Street. Thus, Plaintiff is either so public that the mere mention of an employer and its practices accrues to his personal reputation (because he is a public figure), have magical powers, or he is a 'big baby.'"
Armbruster doesn't have magical powers and Barbe wouldn't like to admit he's a "big baby," Armbruster said.
"Thus, by the powers of deduction, he has admitted to being a public figure by swearing that talking Not About Him is the same as Talking about Him due to his own public footprint," he added.
"Additionally, Plaintiff sues people such as public officials and then demands a public apology... This lends to the theory that he could be both a 'big baby' and a public person, or even a public person because he has worked to become the 'biggest baby.'"
Barbe's defamation claim says he has experienced emotional distress and has received more than 300 threatening phone calls.
"People have called Barbe a traitor and said that he is anti-American," the suit says. "Barbe has been accused of 'importing slave labor from Haiti.' Barbe's employees are 'disgusting, filthy animals who practice Satanic rituals and kill and eat people's pets,'" the lawsuit says.
"People have threatened to burn down Fourth Street's building and facilities."
In response, Armbruster's lawyers filed an anti-SLAPP motion in January, about five months after Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the bill allowing for them into law. It says Barbe's lawsuit was brought primarily to chill protected public expression.
"Andrew Armbruster's rights to speak to public issues, community members and prevailing wages without ever being accused of mentioning 'Dave Barbe' are an incredible encroachment on everyone in Charleroi's right to free expression on public matters," the motion says.
"Not only are they chilled from speaking about Mr. Barbe, by this lawsuit they are chilled from mentioning the hiring practices of a local employer."
Adam Florek of Florek Law and Edward "Coach" Weinhaus of LegalSolved represent Armbruster.