A judge in Iowa City has ruled against a Texas company that supplied mentally disabled workers to an Iowa turkey plant at wages of 41 cents per hour, saying it must pay the men $1.37 million in back pay.
The ruling against Hill Country Farms is the third judgment against the firm after authorities in 2009 shut down a dilapidated bunkhouse in rural Iowa where the men had lived for decades.
U.S. District Judge Charles Wolle says the 32 men had been paid $65 per month to work full-time on a turkey processing line after Henry's improperly charged them for lodging and other expenses.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The U.S. Department Labor earlier won a $1.76 million judgment and Iowa Workforce Development obtained a $1.2 million fine.
