Indian Workers Reach Settlement in Labor Trafficking Cases

On behalf of more than 200 Indian welders and pipefitters, Skadden — in a historic collaboration with nearly a dozen of the nation's top law firms and civil rights organizations — brokered a settlement with Signal International, Inc. on July 12 as part of its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The settlement, which if approved in court would resolve one of the largest series of labor trafficking cases in U.S. history, is valued at more than $20 million. In an important, if somewhat unusual, part of the agreement, Signal has agreed to apologize to the workers, who were lured to work for the company under false promises of permanent U.S. residency. On a pro bono basis, Skadden has represented workers in the dispute since 2013.