Justices to Hear Workers' Wage Case

Monday December 12, 2005 4:16 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an appeal by a Georgia floor-covering company sued by current and former employees who allege the firm hired hundreds of illegal immigrants to suppress worker wages.

The high court will focus on whether a company and its agents, in performing corporate duties, can be considered a racketeering enterprise under civil provisions of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act

The appeal was brought by Mohawk Industries Inc., a Georgia manufacturer of rugs and floor coverings. A trial court judge denied Mohawk's request to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the current and former employees, and the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court.