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Manglona warns Quichocho she won’t scruple to throw him in jail
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona has ordered attorney Ramon K. Quichocho to show cause why he should not be held in civil contempt for refusing to pay $1,200 in sanctions.
In an order on Monday, Manglona said if Quichocho elects not to pay the sanctions and instead presents deficient excuses at the hearing, she will not hesitate to hold him in civil contempt and throw him in jail until he pays.
The show cause hearing will be held on July 7, 2014.
The judge said she knows that “a party’s inability to comply with a judicial order constitutes a defense to a charge of civil contempt.”
“To some extent, Quichocho’s being off-island may have afforded him some latitude in this regard. But it does not anymore. He has staff and he has yet another week before the hearing to pay his sanctions,” Manglona said.
Manglona issued the $1,200 sanction order against Quichocho on June 16 for his late submission of his opposition to Ming Yang Corp.’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit. Part of the sanction included paying Ming Yang Corp.’s legal fees.
Manglona ordered Quichocho to pay the fees no later than June 25, 2014.
On June 24, however, Quichocho filed a motion to reconsider Manglona’s order. He claimed that his opposition was due on June 12, but that he left Saipan on June 10 for personal and medical reasons so he could not file an opposition.
Manglona denied the motion and gave Quichocho until Friday, June 27, to pay Ming Yang Corp., which owns Ming Yang Market.
Quichocho failed to pay the sanctions on Friday, prompting Ming Yang, through counsel Mark Scoggins, to ask for an order to show cause.
In granting Ming Yang’s petition, Manglona said she has thrice ordered Quichocho to pay a single sanctions award. She said the past two orders included warnings that failure to pay may result in further sanctions or contempt.
Quichocho served as counsel for William A. Tracy, who sued several businesses, including Ming Yang, for allegedly having facilities that are not accessible to persons with disabilities. Tracy was reportedly found dead last Feb.7. The case has since been dismissed.
