Judge Upholds $13.6-Million Daewoo Fraud Judgment

WESTMINSTER —  A Superior Court judge refused to throw out a $13.6-million jury verdict that former piano distributor Vernon Schafer Jr. won three months ago from the U.S. affiliate of giant Daewoo Group.

Judge Mason L. Fenton, who presided over the trial in Westminster, denied motions by Daewoo International (America) Corp. to order a new trial or render a judgment in its favor. A jury had found that Daewoo defrauded Schafer and destroyed his business, which distributed the once-popular Schafer & Sons pianos through the Colton Piano chain.

Schafer, an Anaheim resident, contended that Daewoo provided shoddy pianos, refused to pay for servicing, wrongly drew down his line of credit and continued to use his name for two years after his company went bankrupt in 1991. Daewoo has said previously that it will appeal.