"Labor case vs IPI, its two contractors can proceed", 26 June 2019

The federal district court on Saipan decided… to allow the forced labor and human trafficking claims of seven Chinese construction workers against casino operator Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC and its two contractors to proceed.

The case, Wang, et al. v. Gold Mantis Construction Decoration (CNMI), LLC, et al., 18 Civ. 0030, involves claims arising from the plaintiffs’ work on the Imperial Pacific casino and resort project on Saipan. The first amended complaint brings claims for forced labor and human trafficking under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and the CNMI Anti-Trafficking Act, as well as claims under CNMI law for the physical injuries the plaintiffs suffered on the project. Plaintiffs are seeking monetary compensation for their injuries and pain and suffering, as well as punitive damages. Each of these claims is brought against the three defendants in the case: Imperial Pacific International, MCC International Saipan Ltd. Co., and Gold Mantis Construction Decoration (CNMI), LLC…

On April 30, 2019, the defendants filed motions to dismiss the various claims against them. However, in a decision dated June 24, 2019, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona denied all of the defendants’ motions. The court found that “…plaintiffs have stated a plausible [forced labor] claim against each defendant.”

Each of the three defendants must file an answer to the first amended complaint within 14 days...