Imperial Pacific, the company that hopes to one day – eventually, maybe, perhaps – complete construction at the Imperial Palace integrated resort (IR) in Saipan is under fire once again. The company is being sued by a handful of ex-employees who allege that Imperial Pacific practices human trafficking and human rights violations. The lawsuit is just the latest in what seems like a continuous string of inappropriate and questionable activity at the company.

According to a press release, the lawsuit was filed in U.S. federal court by seven Chinese construction workers who were employed by Imperial Pacific to work on the Imperial Palace project. They allege the company was in violation of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, as well as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Anti-Trafficking Act. They are also seeking compensation for injuries sustained on the job.

The plaintiffs filed their lawsuit last Friday. It reads, in part:

“Plaintiffs and many of the other Chinese construction workers on the Casino Project paid large recruitment fees for jobs in Saipan based on the promise of good conditions, high wages, legal work status, and immigration benefits.