IF YOU WORKED IN THE VOLUNTARY WORK PROGRAM AT THE ADELANTO DETENTION CENTER, A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT MAY AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS.

What is this lawsuit about?

A class action lawsuit has been filed in federal court against The GEO Group, Inc. (“GEO”). The lawsuit is known as Raul Novoa, et al. v. The GEO Group, Inc., Civil Action No. 5:17-cv-02514-JGB-SHK, United States District Court, Central District of California, Eastern Division. GEO operates the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, California as a subcontractor for the City of Adelanto. This lawsuit is about whether GEO maintained a practice of wage theft, unjust enrichment, and forced labor against the people participating in Work Programs in the Adelanto facility. GEO denies the allegations made in the lawsuit and argues it has fully complied with the law. The Court has not decided whether GEO did anything wrong.

Who is included?

The Court has decided that the following groups of people, or Classes, are involved in this lawsuit:

1. The Adelanto Wage Class: All civilly detained immigrants who (i) were detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center any time between December 19, 2014 and the date of final judgment in this matter, and either (ii) participated in the Voluntary Work Program^[1] at any point during their detention, or (iii) performed work for no compensation in the Uncompensated Work Program^[2] pending their participation in the Voluntary Work Program, or (iv) performed work for no compensation pursuant to the Adelanto Housing Unit Sanitation Policy.^[3] 
    
2. The Adelanto Forced Labor Class: All civil immigration detainees who were detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center any time between May 1, 2011 and the date of final judgment in this matter (the “Adelanto Forced Labor Class”), with the following subclasses:
    
   1. The Work Program Subclass: All individuals who participated in the Voluntary Work Program at any point during their detention; and
       
   2. The Uncompensated Work Program Subclass: All individuals who participated in the Uncompensated Work Program at any point during their detention.

What are my options?

Stay in this Lawsuit. Await the outcome. Give up certain rights.
By doing nothing, you keep the possibility of getting money or benefits that may come from a trial or a settlement. But you give up any rights to sue GEO separately about the same legal claims in this lawsuit.

Get out of this Lawsuit. Get no benefits. Keep your rights.
If you asked to be excluded and money or benefits are later awarded, you will not share in those benefits. But, you keep any rights to sue GEO separately about the same legal claims in this lawsuit.

The Deadline to send an exclusion request was December 22, 2020 and has passed. 

[1] Plaintiffs allege that the “Voluntary Work Program” is the program GEO operates at Adelanto where detainees work as porters, janitors, kitchen workers, laundry workers, barbers, or in any other job in exchange for $1 per day.
[2] Plaintiffs allege that the “Uncompensated Work Program” means GEO’s practice of hiring detainees to work as porters, janitors, kitchen workers, laundry workers, barbers, or in any other job outside their housing units for no money at all. Detained immigrants typically complete a Work Detail Application for a position in the Voluntary Work Program and must work for an arbitrary period of time—months, in some cases—for no compensation before they begin to receive $1 per day for their labor.
[3] Plaintiffs allege that the “Housing Unit Sanitation Policy” is a program GEO operates at Adelanto where detainees clean and sanitize their housing units, dormitories, pods, showers, and common living areas for no compensation. If you were detained at Adelanto, you were part of the Housing Unit Sanitation Policy.