Previous Story
Judge grants IPI’s request for TRO against a recycling center, owner
Wesley M. Bogdan
Superior Court Associate Judge Wesley M. Bogdan has granted Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC’s motion for temporary restraining order that prohibits a recycling company and its owner and others from concealing or destroying all copper wire and other construction materials belonging to IPI under their possession or control.
Bogdan’s TRO, which was issued last April 16, is supposed to expire 10 days later. Covered in the TRO are FSM Recycling Corp., FSMRC owner Jae Yoon Cha, FSMRC employee Eric Cruz, and a former IPI employee, Ricky Reyes.
Bogdan set a hearing for last Thursday, April 23, on whether a preliminary injunction should be issued to maintain the prohibition until the end of this lawsuit. It is not clear yet whether the TRO has been extended or not. As of press time yesterday, Saipan Tribune was still trying to get information whether the hearing set for last Thursday indeed happened or was postponed.
FSMRC and its owner, Cha, and employee Cruz, through counsel Robert T. Torres, summoned IPI counsel Robert O’Connor to appear and testify at the hearing.
IPI, through counsel O’Connor, is suing FSMRC, Cha, Cruz, Reyes, and 15 unnamed co-defendants for allegedly conspiring to steal and sell construction materials from IPI’s warehouses. IPI is suing the defendants for conversion. IPI asked the court to hold defendants liable to pay punitive damages in excess of $50,000 and other damages in an amount to be proven at trial.
FSMRC, Cha, and Cruz, through counsel Robert T. Torres, filed counterclaims against IPI for invasion of privacy/false light, and abuse of process.
In addition, FSMRC, Cha, and Cruz are suing IPI for business disparagement. They also filed a crossclaim for defamation against Reyes and 15 unnamed persons.
Reyes allegedly prepared a handwritten statement early this year that he and another man would cut about 10 feet of copper wire from spools owned by IPI and sell the wire to Cha and FSMRC.
