Overview

• The lawsuit filed May 27 in Bahia state court names BYD, China JinJiang Construction Brazil and Tecmonta Equipamentos Inteligentes as defendants
• Prosecutors are seeking moral and individual compensation after rescuing 220 Chinese workers from BYD’s Camaçari factory site in December
• Investigators allege workers were brought under false pretenses with visas mismatched to their roles and faced up to 70% wage withholding
• Court documents detail overcrowded dormitories with one toilet for 31 people, inadequate sanitation and passports confiscated to limit departures
• BYD has denied wrongdoing, called the claims an effort to smear Chinese firms, pledged human rights compliance and said it will contest the case in court