Forced labor at shelter for troubled teens?

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The co-founder of a privately run residential “troubled teen industry” facility was unable to dismiss two former residents claims that they were victims of human trafficking and forced labor. The co-founder says the allegations constitute a shotgun pleading, but the court disagrees: They plausibly allege the co-founder benefited by requiring residents to “clean and maintain the entire campus” rather than paying staff to do landscaping and manual labor, and that he benefited as partial owner when the value of the facility’s holding company increased in part due to this unpaid labor.