US judge rejects emerald claims
Source: Agencies |
April 14, 2011, Thursday
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A JUDGE tentatively rejected a California businessman's claim to a 381-kilogram emerald, saying his story about paying Brazilian miners US$60,000 for the gigantic gem that was later stolen was simply not credible.
Superior Court Judge John A Kronstadt in Los Angeles said in a 48-page ruling that it appeared Tony Thomas changed his testimony throughout the trial to improve his chances of prevailing, and that many of his assertions simply defied logic.
Among them, the judge said, was his statement that he had no proof of ownership because someone deliberately burned his Morgan Hill house to the ground to destroy his only copy of the bill of sale.
"The court did not find Thomas to be a credible witness on these key points," Kronstadt said in the ruling issued last Friday in the lawsuit by Thomas.
The judge said he would not make his ruling final until giving Thomas a reasonable time to lodge any objections. He didn't provide a deadline.
Even if Thomas objects, the question of who owns the Bahia Emerald, with an appraised value of up to US$900 million, is far from resolved.
Two other competing claims remain, and Kronstadt said he would take those up later. The Bahia, one of the world's largest emeralds, has had a long, circuitous journey since Thomas had himself photographed with it in a carport in Brazil in 2001.
During a trial that began last September and was delayed several times, Thomas testified that he paid US$60,000 to the Brazilian miners who dug it up.
Superior Court Judge John A Kronstadt in Los Angeles said in a 48-page ruling that it appeared Tony Thomas changed his testimony throughout the trial to improve his chances of prevailing, and that many of his assertions simply defied logic.
Among them, the judge said, was his statement that he had no proof of ownership because someone deliberately burned his Morgan Hill house to the ground to destroy his only copy of the bill of sale.
"The court did not find Thomas to be a credible witness on these key points," Kronstadt said in the ruling issued last Friday in the lawsuit by Thomas.
The judge said he would not make his ruling final until giving Thomas a reasonable time to lodge any objections. He didn't provide a deadline.
Even if Thomas objects, the question of who owns the Bahia Emerald, with an appraised value of up to US$900 million, is far from resolved.
Two other competing claims remain, and Kronstadt said he would take those up later. The Bahia, one of the world's largest emeralds, has had a long, circuitous journey since Thomas had himself photographed with it in a carport in Brazil in 2001.
During a trial that began last September and was delayed several times, Thomas testified that he paid US$60,000 to the Brazilian miners who dug it up.
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