A lawyer for the plaintiffs in a suit involving Imperial Pacific International asked that the company CEO Donald Browne be jailed for contempt of court.
“There is no dispute that Browne was aware of the fee award because he submitted the sole declaration in support of IPI’s motion for an extension of time to pay the sanction,” said lawyer Aaron Halegua, acting on behalf of seven construction workers who have filed a lawsuit against IPI. “Browne exercises control over IPI and has the authority to direct that IPI pay or to direct the sale of certain assets to make payment… Because Browne did not act, the court should hold him in contempt.”
Halegua said that Browne had testified before the Gaming Committee of the House of Representatives that he “oversees the entire operation” and is “very familiar with the financial position of IPI and the availability of funds.”
The plaintiff’s lawyer added that jailing Browne would be an appropriate sanction because IPI and its executives have ignored court orders in various legal cases, according to Asia Gaming Brief.
IPI was ordered by the court in December 2019 to pay $30,000 in attorney fees and other costs. Than the court added a $2,000 daily fine until the judgment was satisfied. IPI still did not pay.
Meanwhile, Browne declared on November 18 that IPI does not have the funds to pay its own employees let alone judgments. “We are working tirelessly to find the funding needed.”
