A New York court has ordered £5m in damages be paid in a fraud case involving a former Norwich company.
SJ Global Investments Worldwide Limited, which was based in an office on Prince of Wales Road, is named in a judgement over a failed financing deal with a US fast food restaurant business called FAT Brands.
It had accused the Norwich firm and those behind it of conspiracy to defraud it over funding its international expansion plans.
Judge Jesse Furman has now issued a default judgment for damages of $6.2m plus interest at the US Court for the Southern District of New York - the same court that recently ruled against Donald Trump.
The ruling follows the overturning last year of a previous decision to dismiss the claim because the New York court lacked jurisdiction.
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Among those named in the damages judgement are Neil Walsh and Kristina Fields who were both listed as directors of the Norwich-based investment firm prior to it being dissolved in April 2022.
Mr Walsh previously described the lawsuit as “frivolous”.
This newspaper has been unable to contact him for comment on the latest judgement. His LinkedIn profile states he is now based in Dubai.
Both he and Ms Fields were also previously listed as directors of a string of other now liquidated companies based in the same Norwich office, including a sports agency and a peanut food company.
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The legal row began when FAT Brands tried to raise $100m in financing in 2018.
The company used a businessman, named in court documents as Karl Douglas from a New York company called PPMT Capital, to find an investor.
FAT Brands claimed they were told the Qatari Royals would provide funding for the deal.
But the money never arrived and in 2019 Mr Douglas is alleged to have told the company SJ Global Investments Worldwide Limited would provide the funding instead.
But when FAT Brands never received it, they accused PPMT and SJ Global Investments Worldwide Ltd of fraud.
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