What is known as a mechanic's lien is being sought on the incomplete Imperial Pacific International hotel-casino project on Saipan in the Northern Marianas.
Imperial Pacific International - CNMI Photo: Mark Rabago
A mechanic's lien is a security interest in the title to a property for the benefit of those who have supplied labour or materials for improvements to that property.
Imperial Pacific's former contractor Pacific Rim Land Development filed notice of the lien in the US District Court for the Northern Marianas.
Pacific Rim said the casino operator owed it more than $US5 million and wanted the lien on the company's project and on the land it sat on, so it could recover its expenses.
The company said it was also seeking an additional nearly $US5m in damages from Imperial Pacific over the matter.