US court enters  billion default judgment against Byju Raveendran
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US court enters $1 billion default judgment against Byju Raveendran
File photo: Byju Raveendran (Picture credit: IANS)

BENGALURU: The Delaware Bankruptcy Court has entered a default judgment of more than $1.07 billion against Byju Raveendran, after finding that the edtech founder repeatedly failed to comply with court-ordered discovery in the Byjuโ€™s Alpha adversary proceeding. A default judgment is a ruling issued when a party does not participate in the litigation or ignores court orders, allowing the court to decide the case without a trial.The ruling, issued on November 20 and reviewed by TOI, awards $533 million in damages for what the court described as fraudulent transfer of Byjuโ€™s Alphaโ€™s funds in 2022, and another $540.6 million tied to the transfer of the debtorโ€™s interest in Camshaft Capital Fund, a US hedge fund. The court also ordered Raveendran to provide a โ€œfull and accurate accountingโ€ of the Alpha Funds and any proceeds that flowed from subsequent transactions.Judge Brendan Shannon wrote that the relief granted was โ€œextraordinaryโ€ but justified, citing what he called an โ€œextensive and repeated pattern of delay and obfuscation.โ€ The order recounts multiple missed deadlines, incomplete filings, non-appearances, and non-payment of earlier sanctions, including a $10,000-per-day fine imposed in July for civil contempt.The adversary case was brought by Byjuโ€™s Alpha Inc., the US unit currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, along with GLAS Trust, the loan agent that now controls the debtor. They allege that more than half a billion dollars was โ€œspirited awayโ€ from the company and routed through various entities beyond the reach of creditors. Raveendran has denied wrongdoing in earlier filings and has argued that discovery requests were improper or unnecessary; the court rejected those objections.The judgment comes alongside a separate filing earlier this week in which the bankruptcy estate submitted a sworn declaration from UK businessman Oliver Chapman, describing how the disputed funds allegedly moved through his firm, OCI Limited, before being routed to a Singapore entity the debtor claims was linked to Raveendran. That motion seeks court approval for a settlement with Chapman and marks the most detailed account yet submitted to the court on the alleged movement of the Alpha Funds.



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