IPI ordered to pay US$500K in damages for defaming USA Fanter

The District Court for the NMI has ordered IPI to pay USA Fanter US$250,000 in general damages and US$250,000 in punitive damages.

Northern Mariana Islands.- USA Fanter Corporation has won a defamation case against Imperial Pacific International (IPI). Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona found that two press releases issued by IPI had defamed the plaintiff. 

According to Mariana’s Variety, the court ordered IPI to pay US$250,000 in general damages and US$250,000 in punitive damages. IPI admitted that press releases accusing USA Fanter of “lying and inflating fees” were defamatory but contested the damages claimed. 

TUSA Fanter presented evidence of defamation from four witnesses and 28 exhibits, while IPI failed to present any witness to contradict USA Fanter’s evidence. 

According to the lawsuit, “IPI had stated that USA Fanter lied about actual construction work performed, issued false reports, forged project quantity numbers, forged a payment, fabricated units of material used, fabricated prices and double-billed for work performed. IPI’s statements were false and defamatory and that USA Fanter’s business reputation was adversely affected as a result.”

USA Fanter has also sued IPI for its failure to pay US$2.08m due to construction work related to the VIP wing and exterior work of the hotel casino in Garapan. 

Meanwhile, Cui Lijie, the majority owner of Imperial Pacific International (IPI), said she is seeking new investors to help reopen the operator’s Garapan casino resort. In an interview with Mariana’s Variety, she admitted that investor interest had fallen off due to negative stories about IPI but said the company was doing all it can to improve the situation.