ATTORNEY Juan T. Lizama has requested clarification from the federal court regarding its order preserving his client’s cell phone data.
Lizama represents Imperial Pacific International LLC chairwoman Cui Li Jie, a third-party witness in the lawsuit of seven construction workers who are alleging labor and human trafficking violations.
The workers have sued IPI and its former contractors, MCC International and Gold Mantis.
IPI is the only remaining defendant in the lawsuit after the plaintiffs have reached settlement agreements with the contractors.
On March 31, 2021, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI ordered IPI chairwoman Cui Li Jie to make a forensic copy of her cell phone and cell phones that she used or had used since March 26, 2020.
The judge likewise directed the IPI chairwoman to include all data from her WeChat account and preserve all other electronically stored information or ESI within 14 days from the issued order.
According to Lizama, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Aaron Halegua, is seeking more information.
Halegua, in an email to Lizama on April 21, 2021, stated that “the report from the copying of Ms. Cui’s mobile phone on April 5, 2021…does not contain screenshots of what options or operations were selected in performing the copy….”
Halegua also stated that “the report suggests that Ms. Cui’s mobile phone is virtually devoid of any content, except for some photographs and videos. There is no record of even a single message sent or a single phone call made. The report lists only a single contact. There also appears to have been no WeChat data copied. This strongly suggests a lack of good faith.”
Halegua demanded that Lizama address his request or the plaintiffs will seek a finding of contempt from the court.
Lizama previously filed a certification and declaration saying that he had in his possession a copy of the IPI chairwoman’s cell phone data in a USB that was available for the plaintiffs’ consultant to inspect.
The plaintiffs are Tianming Wang, Dong Han, Yongjun Meng, Liangcai Sun, Youli Wang, Qingchun Xu, and Duxin Yan. They are seeking $3.86 million in compensatory damages and $7.72 million in punitive damages.
Juan T. Lizama
