The plaintiff, a wholesale art supplier, brought an uncontested trial against the defendant for failing to return 21 consigned paintings or remit the proceeds of their sale.
The defendant, who had been noted in default, admitted via email that he no longer had the art or the funds.
The court found the defendant liable for breach of trust, misappropriation of trust funds, fraudulent conversion, and civil fraud.
The plaintiff was awarded $170,000 in general damages, $10,000 in punitive damages, and $7,500 in costs, along with declarations of ownership and orders for the return of the art and an accounting.
