MCC International LLC has reached a settlement with the seven construction workers who sued the former contractor of Imperial Pacific International over forced labor and human trafficking allegations.
District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona on Friday dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims against MCC with prejudice, saying she finds the parties’ stipulation of dismissal proper.
She also ordered that each party bear their own attorney’s fees and costs. The court retains jurisdiction to enforce the settlement agreement.
The stipulation was signed by attorney Robert T. Torres who represents MCC International, and attorneys Bruce Berline and Aaron Halegua who represent the seven workers: Tianming Wang, Dong Han, Yongjun Meng, Liangcai Sun, Youli Wang, Qingchun Xu, and Duxin Yan.
According to their lawsuit, the plaintiffs were seeking $3.86 million in compensatory damages and $7.72 million in punitive damages.
Besides MCC, the workers also sued Imperial Pacific International and its former subcontractor, Gold Mantis Construction Decoration (CNMI), which told the court early last month that it had reached a settlement with the plaintiffs.
As for IPI, which is represented by attorney Michael Dotts, the court has ordered its chairwoman Cui Li Jie to explain in writing why she should not be put in jail for not complying with a legal summons.
The judge ordered Cui Li Jie to respond in writing no later than Feb. 17 at 12 noon.
The order to show cause was issued following a petition from attorney Berline who asked the federal court to find Cui Li Jie in contempt of court for disobeying a valid and properly served subpoena.
