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Couple accuses Rota mayor, municipality of violating settlement agreement
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Posted on Apr 24 2012
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
Reporter
A couple is accusing the Municipality of Rota and Mayor Melchor A. Mendiola of breaching their settlement agreement on their legal dispute pertaining to farming at the Sabana Protected Areas on the island.
Nurul Islam Paeda and Elizabeth Atalig Paeda, through counsel Ramon K. Quichocho, asked the U.S. District Court for the NMI to enforce their settlement agreement.
Quichocho said Mayor Mendiola and the Rota Municipality have breached the settlement agreement and that the court should enforce it.
Quichocho said the mayor and the municipality failed to pay, in full, the settlement amount.
The lawyer said the mayor and the municipality are also unreasonably restricting/limiting the Paeda couple access to their farm in Sabana.
The Paeda couple sued Mendiola and several other government employees for allegedly invading and destroying their crops and plants at the Sabana Protected Areas.
Last month, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona dismissed the lawsuit after the parties reached a settlement agreement.
Manglona said the court, however, shall retain jurisdiction to enforce the parties’ settlement agreement.
Manglona granted the parties’ agreement to dismiss from the case Mayor Mendiola’s co-defendants David M. Calvo, Brian M. Mendiola, Harry M. Mendiola, Francisco L. Mesngon, Michael B. Manglona, Benedicto M. San Nicolas, and 10 unnamed defendants.
The judge substituted these co-defendants by the Municipality of Rota.
Manglona said the Municipality of Rota assumes all obligations of the dismissed defendants as set forth in their settlement agreement.
Quichocho is counsel for the Paedas. Atty. Joaquin DLG. Torres is counsel for Mayor Mendiola and co-defendants.
