U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – The Virgin Islands Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today it has dismissed the civil action and motion for injunctive relief filed against Mon Ethos Pro Support, LLC (MEPSVI) and David Whitaker, which sought to retrieve and preserve data and physical property that was in the company’s possession and control.
The V.I. Superior Court granted the Government’s request for a Temporary Restraining Order on August 8, 2024, which was later extended to August 29, 2024. The Court further ordered the parties to work out a plan to transfer physical possession of the disputed items back to the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), and to file a notice with the Court in that regard. As a result of the lawsuit and our efforts, a representative of Mon Ethos appeared at the VIPD on Thursday, August 22, 2024, and turned over the property relevant to active cases, which remained in its care and which was the subject of dispute in the case.
“Our suit was predicated on the defendants’ refusal to return physical devices that were entrusted to them, after demands by the Government and threats to delete data,” said Attorney General Nominee Gordon Rhea. “The purposes of the civil suit have been achieved, as our efforts resulted in the return of 54 electronic devices and VIPD’s GrayKey (an electronic device used to unlock and retrieve data from other electronic devices). Having substantially achieved the primary purpose for our suit, the Virgin Islands Department of Justice has filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal in the action against Mon Ethos.”
Attorney General Nominee Rhea thanked DOJ Assistant Attorney General Jalicha Persad and DOJ Chief of the Civil Division, Venetia Velázquez for their hard work and diligence in bringing about these results.