A small Atlanta wholesale jeweler is taking a multibillion-dollar corporation to court, blaming it for the theft of $86,000 in jewelry from a recent Toronto trade show.
R. Abbasi Inc.’s lawsuit against Reed Elsevier Inc. appears to be more like David going up against Goliath.
Abbasi’s Atlanta attorney, Stephen Apolinsky, said Reed Elsevier is so large he’s yet to figure out how to reach the defendant's legal team. With nearly $10 billion in revenue last year, Reed Elsevier is a publishing and information giant whose holdings include LexisNexis, a business solutions subsidiary and Reed Exhibitions, which puts on trade shows through such businesses as JCK Toronto.
Apolinsky filed a lawsuit in Fulton County state court because the United Kingdom-based corporation has a registered agent in the county.
In the lawsuit, Abbasi claims Reed Elsevier and its JCK Toronto subsidiary should be held accountable for allowing unauthorized individuals posing as vendors inside an Oct. 8 trade show at the Toronto Metro Convention Center.
Abbasi said that as it manned its booth “suddenly and without warning unauthorized individuals, posing as authorized, registered and licensed vendors,” approached its booth and walked away with an 18-karat white gold diamond encrusted necklace, with a 40-carat marquise cut emerald center pendant, and an 18-karat white gold diamond encrusted bangle.
The necklace was valued at $75,000 and the bangle at $9,000.
“They had to be fairly sophisticated to make their way inside and be brazen enough to take this jewelry,” Apolinsky said, “I would presume that they had some sort of plan in mind as to what they would do with it. Presumably, it was sold off.”
Apolinsky said the company took nearly $500,000 in jewelry to the trade show, which it has attended in the past and never had any problems. He said the company doesn’t expect to ever see the jewelry again. It may have been pawned, sold on eBay or broken down for the jewels, he said.
Abbasi, which wants to be compensated for the stolen jewelry, said Reed and JCK had a duty to keep the show safe from theft and that at no time was Abbasi informed that unauthorized vendors would be allowed inside. The suit also says there had been previous thefts at the trade show.
Abbasi is a family-owned company that has been in the wholesale jewelry business for nearly 30 years, the lawyer said.
About the Author
