In a lawsuit filed in California, the plaintiffs said that Bumble Bee Foods was aware of and benefited from abuse by suppliers. The company declined to comment.

Four workers said they were tricked into signing exploitative contracts based on false promises of fair employment. Instead, they worked for months on end for little to no pay, pulling up to 18 hour workdays in unsafe and violent work conditions,

The lawsuit alleges that Bumble Bee was aware of or should have been aware of the abusive conditions on vessels supplying tuna to the company.