CNMI High Court to Assign Outside Judge to Gas Price-Fixing Case

The long-running class-action lawsuit accusing Mobil Oil Mariana Islands and Shell Marianas of fixing gasoline prices will now be handed to a judge from outside the Commonwealth. On December 12, 2025, Superior Court Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio disqualified Presiding Judge Roberto Naraja and every judge on the CNMI Superior Court from hearing the case, citing potential conflicts of interest due to the expanded class definition.

The plaintiffs' newly expanded class now includes all regular-gasoline buyers in Saipan dating back to 2005, meaning every Superior Court judge and their immediate families are potential class members, creating a disqualifying financial interest. The court noted that all judges of the Superior Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are disqualified from hearing this matter.

The lawsuit, filed in 2010 by five Saipan residents, accuses Mobil and Shell of conspiring to keep gasoline prices artificially high. The case has seen multiple judges step aside over the years. The latest conflict emerged after plaintiffs broadened their class definition in October, removing earlier exclusions and sweeping in nearly every gasoline consumer on Saipan over a 20-year span. Mobil and Shell argued that this made it impossible for any local judge to remain on the case, and the court agreed.

The case will resume once the chief justice appoints a qualified pro tem judge from another jurisdiction.