Ex-IPI workers amend discrimination suit

A group of former Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC workers whose suit had been previously dismissed have filed an amended complaint against the casino investor and are now demanding a jury trial.

Former IPI construction workers Özcan Genç, Hasan Gökçe, and Süleyman Köş, through lawyer Richard Miller, filed their first amended complaint against IPI and Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. yesterday.
For the most part, the amended complaint is similar to the initial complaint that was filed back in January. The main amendment made was the class definition.

According to the amended complaint, the plaintiffs seek to represent a class, of which they are members, consisting of persons of Turkish national origin who were employed by IPI under the H-2B visa program in 2020 or later.

“The exact number of members of the class is not known at present, and will be determined through discovery. It is estimated that there were about 107 persons of Turkish national origin who were employed by IPI under the H-2B program during 2020 and 2021,” the amended complaint said.

Another amendment made was the prayer for relief.
The former IPI workers now seek a hearing at the earliest practicable date and for the court to “cause the case to be in every way expedited.”

The plaintiffs also ask that the court certify a class defined as: persons of Turkish national origin who were employed by IPI under the H-2B visa program in 2020 or later.

Lastly, the plaintiffs request that the court award them compensatory and punitive damages, and members of the class on whose behalf claims are asserted, in an amount to be proved at trial, and award them costs, expenses, and attorneys’ fees.

According to court documents, back in January, the plaintiffs alleged that IPI practiced discriminatory conduct that resulted in the plaintiffs and other members of the class suffering damages, including but not limited to, reduced wages.

The plaintiffs claim that while they were employed to work on the Imperial Palace casino/hotel resort in Garapan, IPI also hired other construction workers, including Taiwanese construction workers, who also performed the same types of work that the plaintiff did and shared the same skills, qualifications, and experience. However, the Taiwanese workers were paid a higher rate.

Back in May, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona Manglona granted IPI’s request to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the workers and gave the plaintiffs until June 27, to refile an amended complaint but, because they could not meet the deadline, the court gave them an extension.