A judge has granted mattress factory Tempur-Pedic International Inc. permission to inspect 3,500 mattresses at a warehouse owned by members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries — a cult of Christianity whose leader was recently sentenced to 175 in prison.
The company said in a federal lawsuit that the mattresses were meant for needy people, including victims of Hurricane Katrina but were improperly diverted to ministry members and others who attempted to sell them for a profit.