A company that owns slot machine clubs in Laos is demanding at least $15 million from another slot machines supplier that transacts business within the CNMI.
Sanum Investments Limited, through counsel Daniel C. Stafford, is suing Silver Heritage Ltd. and 20 unnamed co-defendants in Superior Court for intentional interference with contractual and economic relationships. Sanum is demanding $15 million in actual damages, plus other damages, court costs, and attorney's fees.
Sanum Investments is a limited liability company organized under the laws of Macau Special Administrative Region. Silver Heritage is a corporation organized under the laws of Hong Kong and conducts business in the CNMI.
According to the complaint, Sanum has a master agreement with ST Group Co., Ltd., outlining the general business relationship between the two parties in Laos. One of these business activities is the operation of an existing slot machine club called Slot Club, owned by ST Group in Thanaleng, Vientiane province, Laos.
Stafford said that under the master agreement, the parties would share revenue but Sanum would eventually control and a 60-percent revenue share as of Oct. 11, 2011.
Stafford said that, on Oct. 4, 2008, Sanum and ST Group entered into another agreement where Sanum will provide slot machines to ST Group for use at the Slot Club. In exchange, ST was required to exclusively use Sanum's slot machines at the Slot Club.
On April 11, 2012, Stafford said that ST unilaterally shutdown the Slot Club and barred and prohibited Sanum from entering the club. That same date, ST Group indicated that it would remove Sanum's slot machines and replace them with slot machines provided by another supplier.
Sanum believes that Silver Heritage conspired with and entered into agreements with ST Group to bring its own slot machines into the Slot Club to replace the machines owned by Sanum, Stafford said.
“As a result of Silver Heritage's improper and intentional misconduct, Sanum has suffered significant monetary damages in an amount exceeding $15 million,” the lawyer said
