Leading the class action suit is Rose Ann Paguirigan who, according to Attorney John Howley, was among the Filipino nurses subjected to terrible work conditions at Sentosa Nursing Homes.
“So we brought a case under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act , because we argued that the $25,000 penalty was illegal and it made the contract basically a contract of indentured servitude and the judges agreed with us,” said Howley. “Wala talaga silang pera so they had no choice, because they couldn’t afford to pay. Rose was very brave, she stood up and she said, 'I don’t care, let them sue me. I can no longer work in this situation. I’m going to leave.' And they did sue her and that’s when she came to us, and we counter-sued,” Howley added.
“If you’re American-born nurse and you don’t have a financial penalty, well if they’re making you work too much, if they’re putting you in a situation where it’s under stuffed, then you just leave and you find a job with a better employer. The problem here was the nurses could not leave and find a job with a better employer unless they pay $25,000,” Howley said.