Flashback – December 9, 2002-2008

December 9, 2002

Lizama wins anew in mishap case

Associate Judge Juan T. Lizama scored another victory—albeit late—in the civil suit he has been pursuing since he figured in a car accident on Saipan 14 years ago. The Superior Court, with Guam magistrate Joaquin V.E. Manibusan sitting as pro-tempore judge, ruled that Lizama is entitled to relief under Rule 60(b), a development that his lawyers explained would reinstate former defendants Pacifica Insurance Underwriters Inc. and Tokyo Marine and Fire Insurance Company Ltd. to the case. Rule 60(b) essentially allows the overturning of a summary judgment, according to Lizama’s lawyers, Vicente Salas and F. Matthew Smith. “The insurance companies should have been in the case since the very beginning,” Smith said.

Deadline for Pathway sign up extended

The Marianas Visitors Authority and organizer, Friends of the Beach Pathway, has extended the signing up deadline for this coming Saturday’s Saipan Beach Pathway Christmas in the Marinas to up to Thursday, December 12. Originally scheduled last December 7, MVA and the Friends of the Beach Pathway decided to postpone the event due to the expected bad weather coming through the weekend during a meeting last Thursday morning at MVA offices. The festivities set up to mark the pathway’s completion as well as the start of the Yuletide season consists of a men’s and women’s outrigger race, a 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer walk, and a 10-kilometer competitive run.

December 9, 2007

Tinian casino project on hold because of Saipan gaming bill

A Tinian casino plan has been put on hold because of a legislative move to legalize gaming on Saipan. Bridge Investment Group had scheduled its groundbreaking ceremony for the casino project for Dec. 28, 2007. But the event was postponed after the House of Representatives passed House Bill 15-322 on Wednesday. “Our company was caught by surprise by this action, as I am sure the rest of the Saipan public was,” said Phillip Mendiola-Long, executive vice president of Bridge Investment Group. “We are very disappointed as this action will negatively impact our project on Tinian. Therefore, our owners want to stop all movement on our project until the Legislature decides what it wants to do,” he added.

Legislature OKs diabetes coverage bill

The Legislature has passed a bill requiring insurance firms to list diabetes under covered benefits. The House of Representatives voted 11-0 on Thursday in favor of Senate Bill 15-15. The bill will make a must for health insurance plans to provide coverage for diabetes supplies and self-management education as part of basic coverage. S.B. 15-15, sponsored by Rota Sen. Paul Manglona, will become law once approved by the governor. It will be known as the Diabetes Health Maintenance Act of 2006. The measure will benefit people with insulin-using diabetes and with elevated blood glucose levels induced by pregnancy.

December 9, 2008

Man throws rock at cops, resists arrest

A man who allegedly threatened to shoot another person with a spear gun threw rocks at responding police officers in Chalan Kanoa early Saturday morning, resulting in his arrest. Deigo Pangelinan Kaipat, 41, was taken to the Superior Court yesterday for a bail hearing. He was detained for assault and battery, obstruction of justice, and resisting arrest. Associate Judge David A. Wiseman imposed a $1,500 cash bail for Kaipat’s temporary liberty. Preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 15, 2008 at 9am. Detective Katherine Manglona stated in her report that police officers responded to the beach area in Chalan Kanoa after receiving a call about a disturbance that possibly involved a gun.

Video shop employee in piracy case gets three-year probation

The federal court imposed yesterday a three-year probation sentence on an employee of a video shop where the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized thousands of pirated DVDs and VHS tapes. U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson also ordered Min Jo to perform 100 hours of community service. Munson referred the 51-year-old Korean to the NMI Immigration to determine if he is a deportable alien. The judge also required the defendant to pay a $100 court assessment fee. Munson granted Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Schuler’s motion that all property seized in the case shall be forfeited to the U.S. government.