KPress Vol. 08 Iss. 04
Jaynes, Bill (2008-01-23). KPress Vol. 08 Iss. 04 (PDF) (Report). Kolonia, Pohnpei: Kaselehlie Press.
- Has attachment: File:LPSL49NY.pdf
Abstract: KPress Vol. 08 Iss. 04: NEWS: Chief Executives Council in closed-door session instructs legal counsel to offer a settlement; Palikir, Pohnpei—on January 11, 2008 the FSM Government filed a lawsuit in the FSM Supreme Court against GMP Hawaii, Inc., leaving open the possibility of adding additional defendants through the naming of twenty “Doe” individuals, twenty “Doe” corporations, and twenty “Doe” entities should further responsible parties be identified during litigation; attorney Dana Smith, retained to represent the FSM, stated that he did not expect to identify additional culpable parties and explained that the use of “Doe” defendants is a common legal tactic intended to preserve the option of naming other parties without refiling the entire lawsuit; the filing followed a termination letter sent to GMP informing the company that the FSM was terminating its contract “for cause,” with the letter written by Secretary of the Department of Transportation, Communications, and Infrastructure, Weiner Hadley, listing multiple reasons for termination; both the lawsuit and the termination letter alleged that GMP was responsible for required soil testing and had failed to perform necessary geophysical soil testing for the Lelu and Utwe Elementary Schools in Kosrae; reporting references the Kaselehlie Building in Palikir, which houses the Department of Transportation, Communications, and Infrastructure; on January 8 a letter was delivered by email and hand delivery to Andrea S. Hillyer, Esquire, GMP Hawaii’s local counsel, and to GMP directly; in an interview, Smith explained by example that in construction projects such as building on wetlands or mangrove areas, engineers may require contractors to fill sites with significant depths of compacted soil, underscoring the importance of proper geotechnical testing prior to construction; OPINION / EDITORIAL: a columnist reflects on efforts to keep personal biases well hidden outside the opinion pages, acknowledging that this goal has not always been fully achieved but affirming an intention to continue striving for objectivity.
