Signal International LLC filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday to deal with lawsuits accusing it of labor trafficking involving citizens of India recruited to work in the U.S.

A Gulf Coast marine services operator, the company was hit earlier this year with a $14 million damages award in a case brought by five people who said they paid $10,000 to $20,000 for jobs they were told would turn into permanent residency in the U.S. Instead, they were forced to live in guarded labor camps under allegedly poor conditions, according to the suits they brought.