Overview
Towards Justice attacks systemic injustices that undermine the bargaining power and working conditions of marginalized workers. In 2014, Towards Justice filed a case on behalf of a nationwide class of tens of thousands of childcare workers who worked in the U.S. on J-1 au pair visas. They brought claims of price fixing, racketeering, and wage theft against fifteen U.S. Department of State-designated “cultural exchange” sponsor organizations. Plaintiffs charged that these sponsors acted as a cartel to illegally set au pair wages far below the market rate and that some sponsors fraudulently misled potential au pairs in violation of racketeering and consumer protection laws. The plaintiffs prevailed on several threshold legal issues and certified a class of tens of thousands. On the eve of trial, the plaintiffs announced that they had entered into a settlement with the defendants that would require the payment of $65.6 million in damages and several changes in the industry. Towards Justice represented the plaintiffs with co-counsel Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP. In 2019, the Court approved the settlement.
Case Documents
Press Coverage
- 1/10/2019 Au pairs to receive $65.5 million settlement in Denver lawsuit
- 1/10/2019 $65.5M au pair settlement in Denver lawsuit would be divided up under formula
- 1/9/2019 Au Pairs win $65.5 million settlement in Denver lawsuit
- 1/9/2019 Thousands of au pairs could share in $65.5 million U.S. settlement
- 1/9/2019 Au Paris Reach $65.5 Million Settlement Over Wages
- 1/9/2019 Au Pairs Can Bargain for Pay After $65.5 Million Settlement
- 1/9/2019 Nearly 100,000 au pairs brought to US win $65.5 million settlement in Denver lawsuit
- 8/28/2018 Long Hours, Low Wages and Lawsuits Plague the Federal Au Pair Program
- 3/30/2018 Au Pairs, an International Class of Domestic Workers, Are Suing for Labor Protections
- 2/13/2018 Au Pair Class Action Could Upend Decades-Old Program