In December 2021, the CNMI government announced $5,000 in premium pay for frontline workers who worked at least 40 hours mitigating COVID-19.
The former firefighters say they met the criteria and submitted applications but were awarded only $1,000 each.
Represented by attorney Joseph Horey, the former firefighters initially sued then-Finance Secretary David Atalig in District Court over the decision to award them reduced compensation.
The plaintiffs later settled the lawsuit for $125,000. The settlement terms included Atalig’s assignment to the plaintiffs of his claims against the Commonwealth for indemnity and/or wrongful denial of attorney fees.
According to the settlement, Atalig provided a copy of the federal court complaint to Attorney General Edward Manibusan and requested representation from the Office of the Attorney General.
The AG denied the request and required Atalig to retain private counsel at his own expense.
The new lawsuit filed by the former firefighters asks the Superior Court to enforce payment of the $125,000 federal court settlement judgment and additional restitution.
