2nd lawsuit filed vs. American couple accused of exploiting 9 OFWs

Manila, Philippines - A second federal lawsuit has been filed against an American couple accused of exploiting and forcing nine Filipino workers to work at their hotel in South Dakota.

American couple Robert and Angelita Farrell are currently in prison for reportedly mistreating workers at their hotel Comfort Inn and Suites and are now being accused of “intimidating, harassing, and isolating" nine Filipino workers whom they promised housekeeping jobs in 2005, a report from the KSFY Television said.

It said that Filipina Maria Corazon Margallo-Gans and eight other overseas Filipino workers (OFW) agreed to the offer and were picked up in Manila by the couple.

Upon arriving at the United States, court documents showed that the Farrells took the passports and visas of the workers and didn’t even allow them to speak to each other.

The OFWs said that they agreed to work for only 40 hours a week at the hotel but the US Department of Labor found out that they were forced to work as many as 160 hours a week.

They were also reportedly forced to walk from the hotel to their shared apartment regardless of the weather.

In addition, the court documents indicated that Robert allegedly barged into the workers’ apartment and dumped bloody dead animals on the floor for them to cut into pieces and eat.

Because of what happened, Gans – who previously weighed 140 pounds (63.5 kilograms) – ended up weighing only 90 pounds (41 kg).

“In my 30 years of practicing law I have never seen a case such as this and I am proud to represent Maria and tell her story to the judge," said Michael Luce, the lawyer representing Gans, in the report.

The Farrells’ lawyer said in a separate report that the couple has denied the allegations since the beginning and will continue to dispute them. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, with reports from AP, GMANews.TV

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