Hyundai owner sues after carmaker is accused of using child labor to build cars
A Hyundai owner is suing the carmaker following accusations that it used child labor in production.
The lawsuit against Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Company says that the plaintiff, and other Hyundai owners and lessees, would not have purchased or rented their vehicles if they knew child labor was used in production.
The suit was filed July 28 by a Hyundai owner in California, court documents show.
It follows a July 22 Reuters report that said SMART Alabama LLC, a Hyundai subsidiary in Alabama responsible for supplying parts for the carmaker’s Montgomery assembly line, used child labor at a metal stamping plant.
The family of three underage workers, area police and workers at the metal stamping plant operated by SMART Alabama LLC told Reuters that the plant employed children as young as 12 years old, the report says.
In a July 22 email in response to the report, a Hyundai spokesperson told McClatchy News that the company “does not tolerate illegal employment practices” and complies with local, state and federal law. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Hyundai knew or should have known about SMART’s use of illegal labor, and it had a duty to alert consumers. By using child labor, the carmaker also engaged in unfair and fraudulent business, the lawsuit said.
The plaintiff’s attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Hyundai owner sues after carmaker is accused of using child labor to build cars."
