U.S. jury awards $17 million to abused migrant women farm workers

MIAMI (Reuters) - A federal jury awarded almost $17.5 million to five former female employees of a South Florida farm who said they were raped and harassed at a vegetable packing plant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced on Thursday.

Three men, including two sons of the owner of Moreno Farms, near Fort Myers in southwest Florida were accused by the EEOC of sexual harassment against the women in coolers and trailers at the packing house, including rape, regular groping and threats they would be fired if they refused to have sex with supervisors.

All five women were fired for resisting the three men, identified as Oscar and Omar Moreno, and foreman Javier Garcia, the EEOC said.

(Reporting by David Adams; Editing by Sandra Maler)