Zaji Zajradhara
IN a ruling issued Tuesday, the CNMI Supreme Court dismissed with prejudice Zaji Zajradhara’s appeal and declared him a vexatious litigant, restricting his ability to file future litigation in the Commonwealth courts without prior approval.
According to the high court’s eight-page decision, Zajradhara may only initiate new litigation with the express permission of the chief justice for matters before the Supreme Court and the presiding judge for matters before the Superior Court.
“The Chief Justice and Presiding Judge shall permit the filing of litigation only if it appears that it has merit and has not been filed for harassment or delay,” the high court stated.
The ruling stems from Zajradhara’s appeal of a Superior Court order granting Northern Marianas College a preliminary injunction against him. The CNMI Supreme Court found the appeal meritless and cited repeated violations of court rules.
“Throughout the course of this appeal,” the justices wrote, “Zajradhara has repeatedly violated Supreme Court Rules, failed to maintain professional decorum, and submitted numerous filings devoid of legal merit.”
The justices found that Zajradhara’s filings were filled with inflammatory rhetoric, unsupported allegations, and personal attacks, targeting justices of the CNMI Supreme Court, the presiding judge in Superior Court, opposing counsel, NMC, and private individuals associated with the case. The high court concluded that his briefs lacked any cognizable legal or factual argument and failed to present meaningful content for judicial review.
“Although it purports to rely on legal reasoning and authority, the cited authorities are nonexistent or provide no support for the arguments asserted,” the ruling stated.
As a result, the high court deemed Zajradhara a vexatious litigant pursuant to 7 CMC § 2457 and issued a pre-filing order to prevent further misuse of judicial resources.
A vexatious litigant is defined as an individual who repeatedly brings legal actions without merit, often to harass or delay rather than seek legitimate relief.
Zajradhara, who represented himself, appealed the Superior Court’s earlier order granting NMC’s request to restrain, enjoin, and prohibit him from communicating with Small Business Development Center employees “by any method and for any reason.” The order also barred him from coming within 500 yards of the SBDC or any of its events.
The SBDC is housed at NMC and partially funded through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the college. It provides counseling services and hosts events for local small businesses.
NMC sought both a temporary restraining order and an eventual permanent injunction against Zajradhara, citing repeated harassment of SBDC employees. The college also filed a civil lawsuit seeking unspecified damages to be proven at trial.
During the appeal process, NMC — represented by attorney Mark Scoggins — asked the CNMI Supreme Court to consider jailing Zajradhara for what it called “open contempt.” Scoggins urged the court to issue an order requiring Zajradhara to show cause why he should not be sanctioned for contempt and for filing a frivolous appeal.
“Mr. Zajradhara proclaims that accountability is coming — a reference to his delusional belief that President Trump is about to swoop in and make his life all better,” Scoggins wrote. “NMC counters that accountability should be coming for Mr. Zajradhara’s open contempt, and frivolous and abusive practices.”
The high court ultimately declined to impose attorney’s fees and costs at this time, citing Zajradhara’s financial circumstances.
The order was signed by Chief Justice Alexandro Castro, Justice John Manglona, and Justice Pro Tempore F. Philip Carbullido.
Separately, Zajradhara also filed a federal lawsuit against NMC, seeking $100 million in damages for alleged civil rights violations, denial of access to federally funded programs, slander, public humiliation, emotional distress, false arrest, and retaliation.
That case was dismissed by the District Court for the NMI. Designated Federal Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood denied Zajradhara’s motion for reconsideration and ordered the case closed on March 21, 2025.
