Ratha et al, Plaintiffs, vs. Phatthana Seafood Co., Ltd.; S.S. Frozen Food Co., Ltd.; Doe Corporations 1-5; Rubicon Resources, LLC; and Wales & Co. Universe Ltd., Defendants. Complaint for Damages
This is an action brought by survivors of human trafficking. The Plaintiffs, villagers in rural Cambodia, were recruited for work at factories in Thailand producing shrimp and seafood for export to the United States. Instead of the good jobs at good wages they were promised, the men and women became victims of human trafficking, forced labor, involuntary servitude, and peonage. The Defendants, including corporations based in California, were participants in a joint venture that in violation of U.S. law knowingly profited from the import and sale of shrimp and seafood produced with trafficked labor. The United States government, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and media outlets have highlighted the problems of trafficking and forced labor at Thai shrimp and seafood factories…The Plaintiffs bring claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act…