A former operations supervisor has filed a lawsuit in Missoula County District Court alleging she was sexually assaulted while working alone at a Nutrien Ag Solutions facility in Havre, and that her employer and other defendants failed to address repeated safety concerns before the attack.
The lawsuit, filed January 12 by Brianna Nelson, names Nutrien Ag Solutions, the Montana Seed Growers Association, Hilldale Colony, and Leonard J. Waldner as defendants. Nelson alleges the assault occurred in October 2024 while she was the only employee on site.
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According to the complaint, Nelson had repeatedly asked Nutrien to install security cameras at the Havre facility, citing concerns about working alone and interactions with delivery drivers. The lawsuit claims those requests were denied.
“Nutrien Ag Solutions failed to fulfill her requests for basic security measures like security cameras,” said Nelson’s attorney, Michelle Simpson Tuegel.
The complaint alleges Nelson was approached by a delivery driver affiliated with Hilldale Colony while she was alone in her office and was sexually assaulted. Nelson reported the incident to law enforcement and her employer the same day, according to the lawsuit.
“She was approached by a delivery driver from a Hutterite colony and was cornered in her office and sexually assaulted. And no one else was at the facility,” Tuegel said. “She quickly reported it to her employer and law enforcement. And still cameras have not been installed at that location.”
The lawsuit claims Nutrien, MSGA, and Hilldale were aware of safety risks faced by women working alone in agricultural settings and failed to take reasonable steps to reduce those risks. It further alleges the companies prioritized business relationships over employee safety.
Nelson is seeking damages and is asking for a jury trial. The lawsuit includes multiple claims, including failure to provide a safe workplace, negligent infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery, negligent supervision, and civil conspiracy.
Tuegel said Nelson’s motivation for filing the lawsuit goes beyond her own case. The complaint argues the case reflects broader safety risks faced by women in the agricultural industry, particularly those working alone. The lawsuit cites national and industry research indicating women face elevated risks of harassment and assault in agriculture.
According to statistics referenced in the filing, women in leadership roles are between 30% and 100% more likely to experience workplace sexual harassment than women in non-leadership positions. The lawsuit also cites studies estimating that female agricultural workers face sexual harassment at rates two to three times higher than workers in other sectors.
The complaint further references data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, stating that roughly three out of four people who experience workplace harassment never report it to a supervisor or authority. It also notes agriculture often includes risk factors associated with higher rates of harassment, including isolated work settings, male-dominated environments, and significant power imbalances.
“A motivator for Brianna taking legal action is that she wants this company, Montana Growers, and the Colony to be held accountable for failing to protect her and for knowing of a risk and not responding to that,” Tuegel said. “She has really been motivated by wanting to make sure that other women, both in Montana’s ag industry and who may work in this same company, if this has happened to them, that they know that they’re not alone.”
Nelson alleges she continues to suffer emotional and psychological impacts as a result of the incident.
“Women are part of the ag industry,” Tuegel said. “And sometimes women are working in situations where they’re isolated, like our client was in this situation, and that requires companies to take measures to allow women to continue doing that work, but to do it safely.”
MTN News has reached out to Nutrien Ag Solutions for comment but has not yet received a response. The other defendants have not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
