A Friday court hearing is set on the latest effort to stop a Roswell plant from resuming domestic horse slaughter.
State District Judge Matthew Wilson in Santa Fe has issued a temporary restraining order to block Valley Meat Co. from opening before he can hold an initial hearing on New Mexico Attorney General Gary King's request for the order.
The plant has been preparing to open in the coming weeks.
King's suit says Valley Meat stands to violate state laws related to food safety, water quality and unfair business practices.
An attorney for Valley Meat calls the lawsuit frivolous.
It's the latest in a series of legal challenges to the plant, which has been trying for nearly two years to open its doors.
Valley and a Missouri company last year won federal permits to become the first horse slaughterhouses to operate in the U.S. since 2007.
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