Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
A Vanderburgh County judge has denied Attorney General Todd Rokita’s petition to enforce civil investigative demands against The Haitian Center of Evansville and Berry Global, after both entities argued there was no reason for the attorney general’s office to seek information from them related to alleged labor trafficking.
In his order, Judge Robert Pigman wrote that Rokita’s CIDs did not meet the statutory standard of reasonable cause and relevancy.
“There simply is not sufficient facts to infer reasonable cause exists to believe the Petitioners have relevant information to an investigation for labor trafficking,” Pigman wrote.
Pat Shoulders, a partner with Ziemer, Stayman, Weitzel & Shoulders, LLP who is representing the Haitian Center, told The Indiana Lawyer, “The Haitian Center is relieved that Judge Pigman has issued a well reasoned decision recognizing that the AG had no reasonable cause to believe that the Center was engaged in any conduct which deserved investigation. The Center will continue to lawfully render much needed services hopefully free from political interference. ”
The Indiana Attorney General’s office did not respond to The Lawyer’s request for comment.
At least eight organizations, from Logansport to Evansville, have received the demands.
Both the Haitian Center and Berry Global had previously argued in court that Rokita had yet to provide any evidence as to why there is reasonable cause for him to seek information from them.
In July, Shoulders told The Lawyer, “It’s clear this has little to do with illegal immigration and everything to do with the political aspirations of the attorney general,” when he spoke of Rokita and his use of the CIDs.
Both the Haitian Center, an immigration assistance group, and Berry Global, a major packaging company based in Evansville, had previously argued in court that Rokita had yet to provide any evidence as to why there is reasonable cause for him to seek information from them.
A copy of the civil investigative demand received by the Haitian Center and released by the center’s attorney shows a litany of requested documents.
The request covered a period from Nov. 1, 2021 to the present and said the attorney general’s office has “reasonable cause to believe that you may be in possession, custody or control of documentary materials or may have knowledge of facts that are relevant to an investigation being conducted concerning human labor trafficking and indecent nuisances.”
Rokita initially announced in November 2024 his office is investigating coordinated efforts among “refugee resettlement” organizations and employers to bring large numbers of migrants to Indiana communities.
He said the “rapid growth of alien populations in certain communities has caused overcrowding in housing facilities as multiple families and sometimes dozens of individuals reportedly share space in structures intended to be single-family dwellings. It also has raised concerns about potential labor trafficking.”
Rokita’s office said it was conducting these investigations pursuant to its authority under Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act and indecent nuisance statute.
At least one attorney from the office has said publicly the demand is not an accusation of wrongdoing.
In his ruling, Pigman wrote that the attorney general carries a burden, though small, to demonstrate that a CID is proper.
He said there had been no specific complaints lodged against The Haitian Center or Berry Global or that they had conducted their business in an unlawful manner.
Also, there had been no indication that labor trafficking as defined by Indiana law had been occurring in Evansville, southern Indiana or the tri-state area, Pigman added.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.