Original Source: http://www.house.gov/georgemiller/rel72903.html

Miller Congratulates Attorneys in Historic Saipan Garment
Suit For Winning Trial Lawyers of the Year

Daniel Weiss
Monday, July 28, 2003

     WASHINGTON -- Congressman George Miller (D-CA) today issued the following statement on behalf of the attorneys who represented the workers in the recently settled suit involving garment factories in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Miller congratulated Albert H. Meyerhoff, Jr. of Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP in Los Angeles and Michael Rubin of Altshuler Berzon Nussbaum Rubin & Demain in San Francisco for being named “Trial Lawyers of the Year 2003” - the most prestigious award for trial lawyers.

     On April 24 of this year, a federal judge on Saipan approved a $20 million settlement that not only provides back pay to workers, but also establishes and independent monitoring system for working conditions in the district. Meyeroff and Rubin were the lead attorneys in the suit.

     Miller, who has called for congressional investigations into sweatshops and introduced legislation to ban their existence, applauded the attorneys’ efforts on this case. Last month, he wrote a letter of support on behalf of Meyeroff and Rubin to the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice office in California.

     “This is a great achievement, made even more impressive by the willingness of the attorneys to forgo compensation for their thousands of hours of expert involvement in the case,” said Miller.

     “While I have no doubt that many others have been rightly nominated for this honor,” noted Miller, “surely there are none who deserve it so justly as those who brought justice to the thousands of abused workers in Saipan.”