Shen Yun Forced Labor and Human Trafficking Class Action Lawsuit

Berger Montague serves as co-counsel in a class-action lawsuit against Shen Yun Performing Arts and other related entities and individuals for the widespread use of forced labor, including the forced labor of children.

The case is brought on behalf of performers recruited as children, some as young as 11, to move to Shen Yun’s compound and perform as dancers and musicians, powering a major commercial enterprise that enriched Shen Yun’s leaders. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants cut performers off from the outside world, including their families. They prohibited performers from leaving the compound, confiscated their passports, prohibited them from accessing the internet and any “unapproved” media, denied them medical care, and forced them to work 13-16-hour days for little or no pay. We also sued International Bank of Chicago, alleging that it knowingly facilitated the scheme by banking hundreds of performers under suspicious shared arrangements.

On August 18, 2026, U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern overwhelmingly denied the defendants’ motions to dismiss, allowing plaintiffs’ core trafficking and forced-labor claims to proceed to discovery.

The plaintiffs in this class action lawsuit allege violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (“TVPRA”) on behalf of a proposed class of individuals who worked at the Shen Yun Dragon Springs compound as performers for Shen Yun productions. The plaintiffs also allege violations of the New York Labor Law (“NYLL”) on behalf of a proposed class of individuals who worked in New York for Shen Yun. Plaintiffs bring these claims against Defendants Shen Yun Performing Arts, Inc, Fei Tian College, Fei Tian Academy of the Arts, Dragon Springs Buddhist Inc. Shujia Gong, Hongzhi Li, and Rui Li.. Plaintiffs additionally bring beneficiary liability claims under the TVPRA against the International Bank of Chicago, alleging that it knowingly facilitated the trafficking scheme by banking hundreds of performers under suspicious shared arrangements

Berger Montague, together with co-counsel Farra & Wang PLLC, serves as counsel for Plaintiffs in this putative class action lawsuit brought under the Human Rights and Forced Labor practice.

Read more about this case:

• Berger Montague: Child Trafficking and Other Allegations Made Against Shen Yun in Recent Lawsuit, Berger Montague (November 25, 2024). Read more.
• Bloomberg Law: Ex-Shen Yun Performer Sues Dance Group for Alleged Trafficking, Bloomberg Law (November 25, 2024). Read more.
• PR Newswire: Child Trafficking and Other Allegations Made Against Shen Yun in Recent Lawsuit, PR Newswire (November 26, 2024). Read more.

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