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Landowner seeks termination of leases
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Posted on Nov 01 2004
A landowner asked the court yesterday to terminate the lease on her two lots on Saipan, suing a dissolved corporation and several persons at the Superior Court.
Ramona Sablan Salas, who resides on Guam but is of Northern Marianas descent, owns two lots in San Vicente. Her lawyer, Richard W. Pierce, yesterday filed a civil action, impleading Jade Investment Corp., a long dissolved firm, as defendant.
The complaint also named Brenda Choon Han, Virginia K. Kim, Seo Kyung Woon and Seo Sun Ok as co-defendants.
The complaint stated that Salas leased out the two lots to Jade Investment in 1991 for 55-year terms. As agreed upon, Jade Investment was to pay the first five years of rental in advance, which it did. Beginning on the sixth year, Jade was to pay Salas annually for the rent, Pierce said.
Verification made by Salas at the Commonwealth Recorder’s Office revealed, however, that Jade Investment had assigned its leasehold interest over the two lots to other persons for “substantial profit.”
Pirece said the assignees of one lot were the Seos, while those of the other lot were Han and Kim.
The lawyer said Jade Investment and the assignees never informed Salas about the assignment and the contact information of the assignees.
“Neither of the leased lots is occupied nor has either been occupied for over 10 years. No defendant made improvements to the leased lots,” Pierce said.
He said Jade Investment or the assignees paid no annual rent. The lawyer said Salas sent notices of default to Jade Investment’s mailing address on Saipan, yet no payment was made more than 60 days after the notices were sent.
Pierce asked the court to terminate the leases and to assess against the defendants attorney’s fees and costs incidental to the lawsuit.
