A St. Clair County resident is suing a Jersey County man claiming “fraudulent inducement” in a failed business dealing involving an eBay account and corresponding Facebook page..
Paul Woods of Cahokia filed a lawsuit in St. Clair County Circuit Court on July 29 against Kenneth Fessler of Jerseyville, claiming he breached a mutual agreement and committed fraud in an August 2014 contractual agreement.
According to the complaint, both parties entered into a contract on Aug. 18, 2014, to buy commercial property in Cahokia; and a separate contract to purchase JWF Enterprises Inc., doing business as Canyon Run. As part of the second agreement, the defendant was to transfer ownership of an eBay store called Chopped Rotten specializing in motorcycle parts, along with its corresponding Facebook page, the suit claims.
Woods contends that the defendant diverted PayPal funds to his own account instead of the plaintiff’s, closed the Chopped Rotten store and shut down its Facebook page, allegedly depriving the plaintiff of access to approximately 6,000 customers.
Woods claims he lost income and opportunity and that Fessler misrepresented the Cahokia property as free of liens and debts when in fact the defendant allegedly owed outstanding federal, state and corporate taxes as well as debts to private entities and utilities.
Woods charges Fessler with breach of contract and fraud. Woods is requesting repayment of all debts in an amount of more than $50,000 and is seeking a declarative judgment to nullify the agreements and repay him all monies, plus interest, attorneys’ fees and costs.
Woods is represented by Robert Jones of The Jones Law Firm in Belleville.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 15-L-429