The jurors found that more than 350 teachers lured to teach in Louisiana public schools were cheated out of tens of thousands of dollars and forced into exploitative contracts by an international trafficking ring run by labor contractors– Universal Placement International, based in Los Angeles, and its sister organization, Manila-based PARS International Placement Agency.
According to court documents, the teachers were charged a $50 interview fee, a $5,000 visa processing fee, and a $7,500 miscellaneous fee. Aside from that, hours after they landed in the United States, they were forced to sign a contract agreeing to hand over 10 percent of their salary until their second year on the job. Passports and visas were confiscated to ensure that fees would be paid.
In their verdict, jurors rejected the human trafficking arguments against Universal Placement International but found the recruiting agency had negligently misrepresented the fees and violated California laws governing employment agencies and unfair business acts.