Superior Labor Court reinstates judge on slave labor registry

The President of the Superior Labor Court (TST), Minister Luiz Philippe Vieira de Mello Filho, has reinstated the case of Sônia Maria de Jesus on the federal government’s “dirty list” of employers responsible for slave-like labor. This decision follows a request from the Attorney General's Office and suspends a previous ruling by the Regional Labor Court of the 12th Region in Santa Catarina that had removed the names from the registry.

Sônia Maria de Jesus, a Black woman with profound bilateral deafness, reportedly endured conditions analogous to slavery for nearly four decades at the residence of Jorge Luiz de Borba, a judge of the Santa Catarina Court of Justice, and his wife. According to the infraction notices, she lived in a damp, leaking external room and performed continuous cleaning and personal care tasks without receiving wages, vacation pay, a 13th-month salary, or weekly paid rest.

The TST decision maintains the status of the employer on the registry until the legal process reaches a final judgment. The case remains under judicial secrecy to protect the medical and family information of the worker.