The pesticides used, which are now banned, were made by Dow Chemical Co., also a codefendant in the trial. The jury will reconvene to decide whether Dole acted maliciously in failing to warn its workers of the danger, and whether Dow engaged in gross negligence in manufacturing the chemical. The trial has been ongoing for the past six months.

The verdicts announced Monday were the first case of foreign-born farm workers prevailing in a U.S. court against either of the two companies over harm from the pesticide, which is known as DBCP. There are still four lawsuits pending.

Spokesmen from Westlake Village-based Dole called the verdicts unjust and said the company will appealed.

The DBCP chemical, which is used to fights pests that attack the fruit trees and also boosts the weight of banana harvests by 20 percent, according to evidence in the trial.