“Nonprofit Alleges Child, Inmate Labor Practices in Suit Against Hyundai, Kia”, 14 November 2025

A nonprofit organization Thursday sued Orange County-based carmakers Hyundai and Kia, alleging the companies have been violating state law against unfair competition with the use of exploited labor from children, immigrants and inmates.

Jobs to Move America filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court accusing Fountain Valley-based Hyundai and Irvine-based Kia of using cheap labor in supply chains, then masking it to get contracts from public agencies in California.

Hyundai and Kia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meredith Stewart of Jobs to Move America said the companies have “engaged in severe labor exploitation, including coerced prison labor, child labor and migrant labor with working conditions that led to higher safety issues and death.”

Stewart said the companies were using labor from prisons in Alabama and Georgia, which she argued “likely violates the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.”

Stewart said some of the employees are children “as young as 13.”

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Soriano-Torres said the immigrants were paid less than U.S. citizens for the same job. (…) When she got pregnant and asked for a less risky job she was fired, she said.

[As reported by AL.com, “Hyundai, in public statements, has said it is aware some suppliers participated in the Alabama prison work release program but that those companies are required to comply with both the law and Hyundai Motor’s code of conduct.

That code states: “Suppliers should ensure that they do not produce for Hyundai Motor Company, in whole or in part, goods produced by Forced Labor or produced in whole or in part by persons or entities subject to the Forced Labor Regulation or supplied in violation of Forced Labor Regulation.”

The company also stated that none of its suppliers have used prison labor since September 2024.”]