Key facts
- Workers allege HelloFresh supervisors threatened to call immigration authorities and took ID badges.
- The lawsuit claims Hispanic workers were assigned harder tasks and subjected to racist remarks.
- Supervisors allegedly menaced workers with a baseball bat to limit bathroom time.
- Allegations include sexual harassment and managers showing pornography to employees.
- HelloFresh denies all allegations, stating an internal investigation found them to be without merit.
Workers at a HelloFresh facility in Newark, New Jersey, have filed a proposed amended class action lawsuit alleging severe verbal and physical abuse, discrimination, and denial of basic necessities like bathroom breaks. The suit, initially filed in August 2024, claims that Hispanic workers were particularly targeted with racist remarks, threats of deportation, and harsher working conditions, including restricted bathroom access that allegedly led to health issues for some. One former worker, Luis Penafiel, described being forced to hold his bladder for hours, resulting in incontinence and infections. The complaint also details allegations of sexual harassment and managers using objects to simulate sexual acts. HelloFresh has vehemently denied all claims, stating that a thorough internal investigation found the allegations to be without merit. Staffing agencies named in the suit have also moved to dismiss the claims.