Along with attorneys Andrew Free, Devin Theriot-Orr, and Meena Mentor, SGB filed suit against the GEO Group, Inc. in September 2017, alleging that GEO violated the Washington Minimum Wage Act by not paying minimum hourly wages to civil immigration detainees who worked for GEO in its voluntary work program at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington.

On October 29, 2021, a federal jury returned a verdict of $17.3 million in favor of the class of detainees who worked in the Voluntary Work Program at the Northwest ICE Process Center (formerly known as the Northwest Detention Center) in Tacoma, Washington, any time between September 26, 2014, and October 29, 2021. GEO appealed the jury’s verdict and the Ninth Circuit affirmed the judgment in favor of the plaintiff class of detained individuals on January 16, 2025. If GEO petitions for reconsideration of the Ninth Circuit's opinion or review by the Supreme Court, as expected, this could take from months to over a year to resolve, depending on whether those courts grant further review.

If you believe you are a member of the class, please contact paralegal, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com to ensure we have current contact information for you.