(ABC 6 News) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison accused a Minnesota dairy operation of engaging in wage theft, calling it one of the worst cases his office has ever seen.

The Minnesota attorney general’s office has filed a lawsuit in Stearns County District Court against multiple businesses collectively known as “Evergreen.”

The suit alleges the businesses have deprived employees of an estimated $3 million in wages through shaving hours from employee paychecks.

Evergreen is also accused of unlawfully deducting rent for substandard on-site housing.

“The size of the theft makes this one of the largest enforcement actions our office has taken to fight wage theft,” said Ellison. “Evergreen isn’t just some small family farm; it’s a large operation that over the last three years has employed hundreds of workers who work at multiple locations in Stearns and Redwood counties.”

Part of the lawsuit seeks to collect employees unpaid wages as well as damages, civil penalties and attorneys fees.