Judge Gives Deadline for Sorting Out Mamtek Claims

A judge has ruled that construction contractors who haven't been paid for work on a failed artificial sweetener plant in Moberly have about three months to sort out who will get money.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that Judge Scott Hayes told lawyers Friday they have until Sept. 15 to notify him if they've reached an agreement on who has the strongest claim to $625,000 held by Randolph County court.

The contractors did preliminary work for the Mamtek plant. Construction started in 2010 but ended in 2011 after the company missed its first bond payment and bond funds set aside for the construction were gone.

The money being held by the court is the amount paid by MFA Oil to buy the incomplete factory and surrounding property.