CALIFORNIA

California is a long way from Clarkston. But it was here, in the Golden State, in 2014 that Mr Cook, fellow director Donald Mccorquodale, DDR Recycling, and a company called DDR Recycling Limited USA were cited as defendants in a court case.

International logistics firm UPS filed a lawsuit over $450,000 owed for a shipment made by UPS to Busan, South Korea in December 2012. UPS said that Mr Cook and his business associates had made small payments before the shipment to build up trust with the company. In November 2012, Cook wired $3,300 to UPS. “Such payment was for the purpose of inducing UPS to provide additional shipping services to DDR,” according to UPS. Documents submitted by the company paint a picture of consistent evasion by DDR after the shipment was sent to South Korea.

After a series of exchanges, in May 2013 a UPS lawyer wrote to Mr Mccorquodale “your emails have been nonresponsive and appear to be solely for the purpose of delay.

At this point I am not inclined to waste any more of my time or of my client’s money engaging in your dilatory tactics...your emails to date have provided UPS with no pertinent information and only seek additional non-relevant information in a transparent attempt to avoid your debt.” Neither Mr Cook nor any of the other DDR defendants appeared in court or offered a defence. In July 2014 California district court judge Audrey B Collins awarded a default judgement of $1,506,586.51 against Richard Cook, Donald Mccorquodale, DDR Recycling and a number of the company’s associates. UPS said: “We received a default judgment in that case. We don’t disclose customer information.” Mr Mccorquodale said: “We had nothing at all to do with it. It was a company in California who used our name. Nothing to do with us at all. We weren’t pursued for it in the UK because it was a completely fictitious judgement.”