A Colorado judge chided a welding company that tried to pay off a $23,500 settlement with a subcontractor by sending the money in loose coins that weighed 3 tons (2.7 metric tonnes).
Judge Joseph Findley ruled Monday that JMF Enterprises āacted maliciously and in bad faithā by delivering a custom made metal box containing the coins that was too heavy to be carried in the freight elevator at the offices for Fired Up Fabricationsā lawyers, let alone the forklift required to carry it, according to court filings.
Findley ordered JMF to pay by a more conventional method like a check. He also said JMF would now have write a larger one ā to pay an extra estimated $8,092 to cover legal fees for the ensuing dispute over whether it had the right to pay in coins.
One of the subcontractorās lawyers, Danielle Beem, told Denverās KCNC-TV, which first reported the judgeās order, that the coin payment was a āsymbolic middle finger.ā
Lawyers for JMF said the settlement agreement did not specify how the money was to be paid and said it had no intention of harassing Fired Up Fabrications, noting that both parties were āvery close friendsā before the lawsuit.
āThe form of the settlement in this case is a reference to their shared career field and is intended to satisfy the settlement, albeit in an uncommon form,ā they said in a September court filing.
Findley said photographic evidence showed JMF apparently took the extra step of taking coins separated in boxes by denomination and then ādumping them loosely and randomlyā into the container.
āThe amount of time and expense required to remedy the payment attempt would have the effect of significantly reducing and offsetting the net amount of the settlement to be received by Plaintiff in the form of costs and inconvenience,ā Findley said.
