Doubt seen in Hillbroom’s lawsuit on Saipan

Attorney Barry J. Israel, former lawyer of Junior Larry Hillbroom, now doubts how Hillbroom’s lawsuit against him and lawyer David J. Lujan can proceed, given Hillbroom’s 60-day prison term and a pending drug case in Palau.

Israel, through counsel Theodore W. Frank, said the U.S. District Court for the NMI and the parties in Hillbroom’s lawsuit are in no better position now to determine how the Palau’s criminal cases will affect the civil case on Saipan since its last hearing on Feb. 21, 2017.

Hillbroom’s legal malpractice lawsuit against Israel and Lujan is due for a jury trial in federal court on Feb. 6, 2018.

In Israel’s response to Hillbroom’s notice about his guilty plea, Frank said the circumstances and Hillbroom’s prior conduct makes it difficult to see how Hillbroom can be deposed on Saipan between Aug. 17 and Sept. 29, 2017—“a narrow window.”

He said Hillbroom has a history of purposely missing flights to Saipan and that Israel and Lujan have been trying to take his deposition for years.

Deposition refers to taking testimony of a witness outside of court.

Hillbroom recently pleaded guilty to escaping from prison in Palau as part of a plea deal. He was slapped with a 60-day prison term.

U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona heard the status of Hillbroom’s criminal cases in Palau last Wednesday.

According to court documents, Palau Associate Justice Lourdes Materne sentenced Hillbroom to five years of supervised probation, with 60 days to be served in prison. Hillbroom was also required to complete drug rehabilitation, write a letter of apology, and pay a $2,000 fine and restitution.

In a separate order pertaining to the drug case, Materne issued an order last June 14 setting a hearing for Oct. 16, 2017, on Hillbroom’s motion for production of discovery.

Hillbroom is one of the four DNA-proven children of the late business tycoon and DHL co-founder Larry Lee Hillblom. He was recaptured in Palau hours after he escaped from police’s custody on Feb. 9, 2016, just a few hours after he was arrested over the seizure of $160,000 worth of methamphetamine or “ice.”

Hillbroom’s name is spelled differently from DHL co-founder Hillblom.

Citing a June 28 Daily Mail article, Frank noted that Hillbroom is not allowed to leave Palau under the terms of his probation.

Additionally, Frank pointed out, the notice indicates that a discovery hearing has been set for Oct. 16, 2017, in Hillbroom’s drug trafficking case, but there is no indication that a trial date has been set.