iPod manufacturer Foxconn has sued a reporter and an editor at a Chinese newspaper, China Business News, after the publication ran an article about substandard working conditions. The issue of working conditions first came to light in June, prompting Apple to launch an investigation that concluded earlier this month with the determination that while there was no mistreatment of employees, they were being forced to work overtime.
The lawsuit led a Chinese court to freeze the reporter and editor’s personal assets, according to Shanghai Daily. The article noted that the case “is the biggest of its kind on the Chinese mainland in terms of the size of the compensation claim.”
Foxconn said in its filing that its reputation was damaged by the article. China Business News issued a statement in which it said that it “stands firmly behind its journalists and will bear all possible consequences in this case.” In May 2004, Foxconn sued a Taiwanese reporter, but that lawsuit was withdrawn after pressure from the Association of Taiwan Journalists.