A federal judge has awarded $388,682 to 17 farmworkers who filed a lawsuit seeking unpaid wages from a Southern Oregon hemp producer.

The judgment is meant to compensate the plaintiffs for unpaid wages and labor law violations for which the hemp producer and affiliated companies were found liable.

Last year, the farmworkers claimed they were hired to work at a hemp farm and warehouse in Grants Pass operated by Colt Jamison Hansen, who did business as WestCoast Growers LLC, Topshelf Hemp LLC and Fire Hemp LLC.

Their lawsuit accused Hansen of carrying guns, yelling profanities and forcing them to work more than 12 hours per day without rest or lunch breaks.

“Although plaintiffs felt physically exhausted, they felt compelled to work as fast as they could so as not to anger defendant Hansen,” the complaint said.

The farmworkers also claimed they were housed in unsafe and unhealthy conditions without heating, running water or working bathrooms, forcing them to use outdoor portable toilets that were never cleaned.

While the hemp producer promised to pay $20 per hour, the workers quit their jobs after he failed to fully pay their wages, the complaint said. They also alleged that he didn’t keep legally required payroll records.

Hansen and the other defendants filed an answer in federal court that denied failing to pay wages or violating the Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Federal Labor Standards Act and state laws governing labor camps and contractors.

The answer also argued the lawsuit hadn’t been filed against the proper defendants and that the workers hadn’t followed the required state administrative process before making the federal complaint.

Following several missed deadlines, however, Hansen’s attorneys withdrew from the case earlier this year after notifying the court that the “relationship between defendants and their counsel had broken down,” according to court documents.

A default judgment against Hansen and the affiliated companies was entered after a federal magistrate judge found they’d “violated multiple court orders” and “have not proceeded to defend the case in any way.”

“Here, Defendants have consistently missed important dates and deadlines, failed to respond to discovery requests or engage in litigation, and failed to follow multiple Court orders,” the judge said. “They have essentially abandoned their defense of this case and made proceeding on the merits impossible.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke in Medford also recommended awarding each of the 17 plaintiffs between $21,000 and $24,000 in compensation for lost wages and labor law violations.

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken has now agreed with the recommended sanctions against Hansen and his companies, ordering them to pay $388,682 in total.

Capital Press was unable to reach Hansen or the hemp companies for comment as of press time.

The lawsuit is one of several filed by farmworkers who claim to be owed money by hemp growers and processors.

Hemp production in Oregon has dropped 95% from its peak several years ago, with six of every seven growers who produced the crop in 2019 no longer cultivating it.

Overproduction has been blamed for crop’s recent misfortunes, since prices plunged after the 2019 harvest, while continued regulatory uncertainty has stifled demand for hemp among manufacturers.