San Diego-based canned tuna giant Bumble Bee Seafoods has known for years that fishing vessels in its supply fleet used forced labor but failed to stop the practice, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Diego federal court that’s believed to be the first ever to allege human trafficking against a U.S. seafood company.

Citing violations of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000, the men seek unspecified monetary damages in San Diego federal court. The four are represented by lawyers led by Washington-based Cohen Milstein aided by Greenpeace and a San Diego attorney.

Four Indonesian workers claim they were beaten and forced to work on ships that supplied tuna for the San Diego based company.

Four Indonesian fishermen have filed a lawsuit against Bumble Bee Seafoods, alleging they were subjected to forced labor on vessels supplying tuna. They accuse the company of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

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,

Four Indonesian fishermen file a lawsuit against Bumble Bee Seafoods, alleging forced labour and abuse in its tuna supply chain.

Lawyers representing four Indonesian fishermen say they were beaten and trapped on vessels that were part of the global supply chain that provided tuna to Bumble Bee Seafoods. They filed