Avant Settles Immigrant Nurse Lawsuit for $3 Million as Rick Jackson Runs on Hardline Immigration
Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 20
Avant Settles Immigrant Nurse Lawsuit for $3 Million as Rick Jackson Runs on Hardline Immigration
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 20
Summary
$3 million will be shared among more than 5,000 current and former Avant Healthcare workers under a June settlement that also waives unpaid exit fees tied to disputed contracts.
The lawsuit accused Avant of underpaying foreign-born nurses, locking them into multi-year agreements and threatening ICE contact or five-figure penalties when they tried to leave; Avant denied wrongdoing and said it settled to avoid litigation costs.
A federal judge had allowed trafficking claims to proceed, and the class later grew to 5,219 workers; company representatives said most cash payments will be about $500 or less, with some workers receiving only fee waivers.
The case puts new scrutiny on owner Rick Jackson's Georgia governor campaign, which has featured anti-immigration ads even as his healthcare business depends on legal foreign recruitment and has challenged Trump-era visa restrictions.
The dispute also fits a wider fight over 'stay-or-pay' contracts for immigrant nurses, with at least 10 class actions identified in 2024 and states including California and New York moving to ban such agreements.