PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Five undocumented immigrants are suing The Cheesecake Factory, saying they were abused by managers at the Willow Grove Mall location in Montgomery County after being directed to buy fake work papers.
The federal lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, claims managers guided the Spanish-speaking workers through a process to purchase fraudulent government work permits for around $100.
Once hired, the workers said they were forced to sign documents they could not understand because they were written in English, and they were not paid for time on the clock. In one instance described in the complaint, the undocumented workers were made to clean up sewage that leaked into the kitchen from the drain pipes, while others were sent home.
The workers also claim they were forced to work while sick with COVID-19 and were denied bathroom breaks.
The complaint accuses the Cheesecake Factory of forced labor, which violated federal human trafficking laws.
In a statement to KYW Newsradio, the company said: “The allegations in the complaint are entirely false and without merit," adding, "We are confident that the facts will clearly demonstrate the integrity of our practices.” The company also states it “follows well-established internal protocols to ensure consistent compliance with all federal employment verification laws."