Mike King

A migrant worker for G Farms checks watermelons.

A West Valley farm accused of forcing guest workers to live in deadly conditions has settled a lawsuit brought in 2017 by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Last May, the Labor Department sued G Farms after inspectors found about 70 migrant farmworkers living in converted schools buses, truck trailers and a shed. The workers were in the U.S. under temporary visas called H-2As. Labor Department officials argued the farm forced the workers to live in life-threatening conditions.

In a recent settlement, G Farms’ agreed to follow strict rules for any guest worker program going forward, or face contempt of court. 

The temporary workers were interviewed by lawyers on both sides during the case, said attorney Mike King, who represents G Farms. 

“And the workers themselves had no complaints about the conditions or the way they were treated,” said King, of the Phoenix law firm Gammage & Burnham. “They liked working for G Farms.”

The guest workers were moved to better housing right after the inspection, King said.

G Farms has paid the state of Arizona about $1,700 in health and safety fines.