According to a lawsuit filed today...in Hartford..., [12 Guatemalan workers promised work in No. Carolina] were...turned into a captive labor force for Imperial Nurseries. The lawsuit charges that agents of Imperial Nurseries confiscated the men’s passports to prevent their escape, forced them to work nearly 80 hours a week for far less than minimum wage, denied them emergency medical care and threatened them with jail and deportation if they complained. The lawsuit is among the first to seek civil damages under a 2003 provision of the federal laws against human trafficking, which added a right for victims to sue for compensation. Monte B. Lake, a lawyer representing Imperial Nurseries and its...parent company, Griffin Land and Nurseries, said..., “we are confident that the allegations will be found to be without merit, as against Griffin and its subsidiary.”... Joseph Stallings,...the registered agent for Pro Tree [labour subcontractor for Imperial Nurseries/Griffin Land, which was also named in the lawsuit as a defendant], said he had advised the contractor to seek legal counsel in Connecticut, and could say nothing more.