7 ex-workers demanding from IPI $795,341 in attorneys’ fees

Seven China-based former workers of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC are seeking payment of $795,341 in attorneys’ fees plus $16,877 in court costs in response to the federal court’s order in connection with a default judgment to be entered against IPI.

The former workers’ petition, which was filed in the District Court last Tuesday, seeks a fee award of $795,341 for the work of their four attorneys, one paralegal, and four full-time law student interns.

In their separate petition for damages filed in court, the former workers are seeking a total of $11.58 million in compensatory damages against IPI.

With respect to attorneys’ fee, the bulk of the amount will go to New York-based lawyer Aaron Halegua, who claimed $549,440 for the 1,373.60 hours he spent at $400 per hour rate.

The plaintiffs’ Saipan-based lawyer, Bruce Berline, is demanding $40,740 for 135.80 hours at $300 per hour rate. Attorney Ben Petersburg, a former partner at Berline’s law firm, asked for $6,600 for 33.30 hours at $200 an hour rate.

Another New York lawyer, Times Wang, asks to be paid $36,516 for 91.29 hours at $400 an hour rate.

Paralegal Jacob Kessler is demanding $49,790 for 398.32 hours at $125 an hour rate. At $160 an hour, four full-time law student interns also asked for payment—Zach de Stefan at $36,7755 for 229.72 hours; Yun Zhang at $42,459 for 265.37 hours; Yiwen Zhang at $24,881 for 155.51 hours; and Lulu Sun at $8,099 for 50.62 hours.

Halegua said the plaintiffs, who’ve obtained a default judgment, are prevailing parties and thus entitled to attorneys’ fees under the Trafficking Victims Protection Re-authorization Act.

The plaintiffs are suing IPI for alleged forced labor in violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Re-authorization Act, forced labor in violation of the CNMI Anti-Trafficking Act, negligence, and liability for employees of subcontractor.

IPI and its subcontractor, MCC International Saipan Ltd. Co., and MCC’s subcontractor, Gold Mantis Construction Decoration (CNMI) LLC, have denied the plaintiffs’ allegations.

Halegua said they expended considerable time and resources in litigating this case against IPI to its current position. He said IPI’s constant roadblocks and obstructionist behavior further increased the work that the plaintiffs needed to perform.

Halegua said that he took primary responsibility for most of the tasks in the litigation soon after getting involved in the case. He said the four law student interns primarily engaged in performing legal research, reviewing and analyzing relevant discovery produced by IPI, tracking and documenting IPI’s non-compliance with the court’s orders, interviewing the seven plaintiffs to prepare their declarations on damages, arranging exhibits and translating them into English, proofreading and cite-checking court filings, and preparation of this fee petition.

He noted, among other things, that in exercise of billing judgment, plaintiffs are not requesting fees for the hundreds of hours expended by law students, attorneys, and others on this case.

The plaintiffs—Tianming Wang, Dong Han, Yongjun Meng, Liangcai Sun, Youli Wang, Quingchun Xu, and Xiyang Du—are suing IPI, MCC and Gold Mantis over the alleged injuries they suffered during accidents at the worksite of IPI’s resort/casino project in Garapan.