The lawsuit claiming billionaire William Koch kidnapped and imprisoned one of his executives at Koch’s Western-themed ranch near Paonia will be heard in Colorado District Court after a judge rejected the executive’s request to hear the case in his home state of California.
U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley approved Koch’s request to move the case to Colorado after hearing former Oxbow Group executive Kirby Martenson testify that he never tried to flee, alert bystanders or use his mobile phone during the time he said he was imprisoned by Koch and driven from the ranch to a private jet in Denver. Martenson’s testimony was from a case in Florida, where Oxbow is suing the former vice president in the company’s Asia-based petroleum-coke-trading business for allegedly defrauding the company.
Martenson claims he was held captive for three hours after Koch summoned him to the 420-acre Bear Ranch and confronted him with allegations of fraud in March 2012.
