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Korean businessman’s racketeering lawsuit is dismissed
The federal court dismissed with prejudice a racketeering lawsuit filed by a South Korean businessman after he failed to show up at yesterday’s hearing.
That means businessman Il Hwan Kim and his former company, KSA Corp., can no longer re-file their lawsuit against the remaining defendant, Jeong Eun Taek.
Kim failed to appear at the show-cause hearing that ordered him and KSA to explain why the court should not dismiss their lawsuit for failure to prosecute.
Taek appeared with an interpreter.
According to the minutes of the hearing, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona stated that Kim and KSA were notified of the hearing, yet they did not appear nor did they show diligence in pursuing the lawsuit.
Manglona asked Taek if he heard from Kim and KSA at least since the last hearing on Jan. 24, 2019.
Taek acknowledged that he had not heard from Kim.
Manglona said she would issue a written order dismissing the case.
Last January, Manglona granted a motion filed by attorney Mark Scoggins to withdraw as counsel for Kim and KSA after they allegedly failed to pay financial obligations to his law office in connection with their racketeering lawsuit.
In his motion, Scoggins said despite almost daily attempts for a period of several month to communicate with his clients—Kim and KSA Corp.—they have not responded.
Kim and KSA sued Taek and several others for allegedly conspiring to steal millions of dollars from him for his hotel and casino project on Saipan.
Among those they sued were a former lawmaker and a Department of Public Lands employee.
The plaintiffs asked the court to hold the defendants liable to pay them damages, court costs, and attorney’s fees.
The court subsequently dismissed with prejudice the claims against the former lawmaker, the DPL employee, and two others.
