TANG’S Corporation has filed a complaint against Yuvaraj Balakrishnan in federal court, accusing the defendant of fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment.
Tang’s, which is represented by attorney Michael Dotts, is also demanding a jury trial.
The lawsuit is asking the District Court for the NMI to issue a judgement awarding Tang’s general damages, plus pre-judgement interest, punitive damages in an amount to be proven in trial, and an award for attorney’s fees.
According to the complaint, Balakrishnan is a resident of the State of California, and is the brother of Mahesh Balakrishnan who worked for Tang’s Corp. as site manager from 2012 to Nov. 2019.
Mahesh Balakrishnan offered Tang’s his brother’s services as a sales agent to complete the purchase for materials with a U.S. vendor and pay for the materials. Under this arrangement, the company gave his brother, Yuvaraj, its bank account information and authorized him to make a payment for the materials.
“Defendant used plaintiff’s bank account information and completed the purchase, and the materials were shipped to Saipan,” the lawsuit stated.
After this single transaction in Feb. 2017, the lawsuit added, the plaintiff never authorized the defendant to use the plaintiff’s bank account again.
In March 2021, the lawsuit stated, an outside auditor reviewing Tang’s financial statement discovered that there were unusual transactions involving the plaintiff’s bank account.
After reviewing the bank statements, the plaintiff said it discovered that beginning in Feb. 2017, Yuvaraj Balakrishnan had used funds from the plaintiff’s bank account to make payments on his Chase credit card.
None of the payments from the plaintiff’s bank account to pay the defendant’s credit card were authorized by the construction company, the lawsuit stated.
It added that the last unauthorized transaction made by the defendant occurred on Jan. 6, 2020.
The total amount Yuvaraj Balakrishnan took from Tang’s bank account without authorization was $98,768.40, the lawsuit stated.
It added that the defendant knew his payments of his credit card using the plaintiff’s money were fraudulent and false. “Defendant’s fraud and theft of plaintiff’s money was intentional, wanton, reckless and malicious, such that plaintiff is entitled to an award of punitive damages for the theft of money by defendant,” the lawsuit stated.
