Plaintiffs filed the proposed class action lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Starbucks was accused of trafficking and forced labor practices in its coffee supply chain in a 100-page class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs, a group of allegedly trafficked people backed by nonprofit legal advocacy organizationInternational Rights Advocates, charge the coffee giant with subjecting workers to “slavery-like” conditions at coffee plantations in Brazil.
The lawsuit alleges workers on Brazilian coffee plantations supplying Starbucks are subjected to exploitative labor conditions. These allegedly include being trafficked by illegal labor brokers, known as Gatos.
