IPI opposes legal fees for discrimination lawsuit

Imperial Pacific International has argued that the attorney’s fees should be lower.

Northern Mariana Islands.- Imperial Pacific International (IPI) has challenged a motion for attorney’s fees presented by Joshua Gray, a former IPI employee who sued the company for discrimination. The casino operator said the fees should be lower than the amount requested. In May, the District Court for the NMI made a judgment awarding Gray US$5.6m. 

Gray, represented by attorney Aaron Halegua, is seeking US$232,730.25 in fees and US$33,921.74 in associated costs. IPI, through attorney Michael Chen, contends that certain aspects of the fees are unwarranted and that the number of hours billed by Gray’s legal team were vague and excessive.

Chen said fees cannot be awarded for services related to unsuccessful claims. He said the court previously declined to grant front pay to Gray, rendering any fee request linked to this aspect unsubstantiated.

According to Mariana’s Variety, Chen said: “No fee may be awarded for services on the claim for front pay. Attorneys for the plaintiff asked for US$4,344.90 for services related to the claim of front pay where the phrase ‘front pay’ was specifically mentioned in the time entries provided by the plaintiff’s counsels.”

Chen added: “In the context of a motion for attorney’s fees, the defendant urges the court to exercise its sound discretion to scrutinize the time entries provided by the plaintiff’s counsel with critical eyes, considering potential ethical issues and the vulnerability of defendant in this aspect.”