Chuck Jones, former CEO of C.A. Jones Management has been named in a lawsuit filed by a company that, until recently, he managed, along with an additional federal lawsuit
College Book Rental Co. filed a lawsuit and restraining order against Jones, Thursday, in Calloway County Circuit Court.
Jones is part owner of C.A. Jones Management, which operates several businesses in Murray including College Book Rental Co., Southeastern Book Co., Integrated Computer Solutions and Blackrock Investments. In August, Jones stepped down as CEO of those companies after a federal lawsuit against him by a longtime business partner David Griffin became public.
Thursday’s circuit court lawsuit alleges that, after Jones stepped down, Griffin appointed an acting consultant to run the company. The consultant, Myles MacDonald, started working with College Book Rental Company and discovered problems with the company. The suit claims that MacDonald met with Security Bank & Trust Co. to discuss outstanding loan obligations when bank employees informed him of a separate company which Jones “in whole or in part” owned. The company, Global Book Resellers, had allegedly been using CBR books under a different name. The suit also claims Jones had been binding international editions with U.S. covers.
Circuit Judge Dennis Foust signed the restraining order, which stated the court found College Book Rental Co. would be “immediately and irreparably injured without the issuance of a restraining order and temporary injunction.”
The restraining order forbids Jones and his wife, Sarah Jones, CA Jones Management Group and Global Book Resellers from “using, altering, selling, renting or otherwise transferring or disposing any asset that (1) was acquired with CBR funds or other assets, (2) was acquired in the name of CBR, (3) was shipped with CBR funds or other assets, (4) was ever at any time an asset of CBR, or (5) bears or has ever borne a CBR fixed asset number or other CBR designation, other than to return assets to CBR …”
The complaint lists several previous federal and state lawsuits filed against Jones.
A federal lawsuit was filed Thursday in the New York Southern District Court against Jones and several C.A. Jones companies. McGraw-Hill Cos. and Pearson Education Inc. allege that Jones infringed on the companies’ copyrights, violating an intellectual property policy.