On July 13, 2018, Handley Farah & Anderson filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Maryland alleging that Mr. Purna Bahadur Pun, a Nepali beekeeper, was forced to work on a rural Maryland farm for three years without lawfully owed wages. The case alleges that Rightway Engineering and Management LLP and its owners, who own a farm in Federalsburg, Maryland and two restaurants in Montgomery County, lured Mr. Pun to work in 2013 under promises of compensation of $2,000 per month. The lawsuit alleges that by exploiting Mr. Pun’s inability to speak English, and lack of resources and local support, the Defendants left Mr. Pun to work and live on the farm by himself, where he worked day and night to clear and sow the land, and care for and harvest the crops. The lawsuit alleges that over the course of approximately three years of employment, Mr. Pun was largely paid only with vegetables and rice, ultimately receiving only $20,000 after he ended his employment with Defendants. In addition to Handley Farah & Anderson, Mr. Pun is represented in this action by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Williams & Connolly LLP.
If you have any questions concerning this case, please contact Matthew Handley, at 202-559-2411 or [email protected]. A copy of the complaint can be found HERE.