California employers may be sued if they hire illegal aliens

LOS ANGELES
June 27, 2006 1:11pm

Businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens may find themselves on the wrong end of a lawsuit as early as this summer.

David Klehm, an Orange County attorney, says he will represent law-abiding firms which have suffered economic damage as a result of their competitors using cheap labor. He says the first suits could be filed this summer.

“This has never been done before. This is the first time anyone in the country has actually used state civil law to prosecute employers of illegal aliens,” Mr. Klehm says. “We’re hoping … this will be a model for other states across the country.”

((Listen to a CVBT interview with Mr. Klehm by click on the link below.))

Mr. Klehm says the lawsuits will seek restitution, damages and market protections on behalf of small and medium-sized business owners.

"Honest business owners and hard-working Americans are the forgotten victims of unenforced laws against illegal immigration," says Mr. Klehm.

According to Mr. Klehm, honest California businesses have lost billions of dollars over the years as a result of being undercut by competitors that employ illegal aliens. Under state law, they are entitled to compensation, he says.

"For some of our clients, their only choice is to file a lawsuit or file bankruptcy papers," says Mr. Klehm. “People who obey the law should not be forced into bankruptcy by those who don't."