Human Trafficking Lawsuit to Move Forward; Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss
A federal judge has denied a motion to dismiss claims in a lawsuit by 18 survivors of human trafficking against Star One Staffing, Inc. and some of its officers and employees. This decision clears the way for the survivors’ claims of human trafficking, forced labor, and racketeering to move forward in the court. As set out in the complaint filed last year in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the defendants recruited the plaintiffs from the Philippines and the United States using fraudulent visa applications, false promises, and misrepresentations to induce the plaintiffs to work for the defendants in the United States. Once employed by defendants, plaintiffs were compelled to live in severely crowded housing and to work long hours in country clubs and hotels in Florida and New York. To ensure that the plaintiffs complied with their demanding work schedules, plaintiffs were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, deportation, cancellation of their visas, loss of work, lawsuits, and blacklisting. Read more about this case on our blog, learn about the importance of enabling survivors to directly hold their traffickers responsible here, and read the complaint. |
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