Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has announced what he says is one of the largest wage theft enforcement actions in state history.

During a press conference on Monday morning, Ellison announced a lawsuit against Evergreen Acres Dairy, which has locations in both Stearns and Redwood counties.

Ellison estimated the company had withheld at least $3 million in wages from its employees and alleged that the business also retaliated against any workers who raised questions about their pay.

“As I said, this is one of the biggest cases we’ve taken on so far and it should send a message that we will fight wage theft to make sure that every worker in Minnesota takes home every penny that they have earned, no matter how big the employer or how vulnerable the worker,” Ellison said.

The announcement follows the creation of a wage theft unit by the state legislature back in 2019. CLICK HERE to learn more about the unit.

The unit was created to strengthen the state’s legal protection for workers and lead investigations. In addition, there’s the ensuing legal battle of wage thefts in the state, and wage theft can look like many things — whether that’s hours getting shaved off your paycheck, being forced to work off the clock or not getting paid for overtime.

A 2019 law made it so that, depending on how much an employer stole from their employee, they could be charged with a felony and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and also fined up to $100,000 if convicted. CLICK HERE to learn more about wage theft.