The USDA district office in Minneapolis has confirmed that a man who has filed a lawsuit against Hormel Foods Corp. and Quality Pork Processors (QPP) is a federal USDA inspector.

Dale Kinney claims he was injured after coming in contact with a defective air compression device used to harvest pigs’ brains at QPP on April 20, 2007.

The plaintiff filed the lawsuit in Mower County District Court on three counts of strict liability, negligence and premises liability after he was allegedly “severely injured.”

He is seeking at least $50,000 in damages. Kinney’s attorney, Paul Dahlberg of Meshbesher & Spence, Rochester, did not return messages by deadline Friday.