Transprint Customers Win Claims
Company Owes $825,000, But Denies Shortchanging Workers
Posted: January 25, 2013
HARRISONBURG — Transprint USA’s employees may not be the only ones waiting to get paid by the company.
A pair of out-of-state customers won judgments against Transprint in Rockingham County Circuit Court this week. The company, which has corporate offices in New York City and a manufacturing plant on Pleasant Valley Road in Harrisonburg, owes them more than $825,000, according to court records.
More than a dozen employees say they went weeks without pay starting around Thanksgiving and aren’t being paid in full when they do receive checks. Virginia law prevents workers from quitting and collecting unemployment benefits, at least not without having a hearing on the matter.
Company officials, speaking Thursday for the first time since employees held a boycott in December, denied accusations that checks have been skipped or have not been paid in full.
Officials admit they are behind on payroll, but wouldn’t say how much.
Cheran Digital Imaging & Consulting Inc. of South Carolina filed the larger of the two civil lawsuits on Nov. 2. Its president, Jesse Leskanic, was a former supplier for Transprint and served a four-month stint — in name only, he says — as vice president of operations at the Harrisonburg plant.
The suit includes Transprint’s parent company, Colorep Inc. of California, as a co-defendant. Colorep bought Transprint in 2007.
Transprint prints heat transfer paper for the textile industry — printing designs on paper with special dyes. Customers convert the work to fabric.
According to Leskanic’s complaint, Cheran and Transprint entered a software agreement in 2006. Upon installation of Cheran’s technology, “multiple deficiencies” were uncovered in Transprint’s operations, leading to additional involvement from Cheran.
Yet, as of Oct. 29, Colorep and Transprint owed Leskanic $329,297, more than $224,000 of that amount for consulting.
Leskanic also notified Transprint that it was terminating its contract early, which cost Transprint another $270,000.
Leskanic won the nearly $600,000 judgment in court Wednesday. In a phone interview, he said he has discussed postponing enforcement of the judgment with Transprint CEO Larry Levy.
“It’s a very bad situation,” said Leskanic, who left as a consultant for Transprint in May. “I’m hoping they are able to work this out. The people there are really good people and they’re taking a shellacking.”
Company officials declined comment on the judgments.
Second Lawsuit
Danzas Corp. of Ohio, conducting business as DHL Global Forwarding, filed the second lawsuit against Transprint on Dec. 10.
According to court records, DHL provided Transprint with shipping and delivery services from Aug. 1, 2011, to May 4, 2012. Transprint “refused” to pay the $226,174 it owed, the complaint states.
Danzas won the judgment for that amount in court Tuesday.
Transprint did not file responses to either lawsuit. Don Showalter, a Harrisonburg attorney, who represented the company, did not return a call for comment Thursday.
Contact Preston Knight at 574-6272 or pknight@dnronline.com
A pair of out-of-state customers won judgments against Transprint in Rockingham County Circuit Court this week. The company, which has corporate offices in New York City and a manufacturing plant on Pleasant Valley Road in Harrisonburg, owes them more than $825,000, according to court records.
More than a dozen employees say they went weeks without pay starting around Thanksgiving and aren’t being paid in full when they do receive checks. Virginia law prevents workers from quitting and collecting unemployment benefits, at least not without having a hearing on the matter.
Company officials, speaking Thursday for the first time since employees held a boycott in December, denied accusations that checks have been skipped or have not been paid in full.
Officials admit they are behind on payroll, but wouldn’t say how much.
Cheran Digital Imaging & Consulting Inc. of South Carolina filed the larger of the two civil lawsuits on Nov. 2. Its president, Jesse Leskanic, was a former supplier for Transprint and served a four-month stint — in name only, he says — as vice president of operations at the Harrisonburg plant.
The suit includes Transprint’s parent company, Colorep Inc. of California, as a co-defendant. Colorep bought Transprint in 2007.
Transprint prints heat transfer paper for the textile industry — printing designs on paper with special dyes. Customers convert the work to fabric.
According to Leskanic’s complaint, Cheran and Transprint entered a software agreement in 2006. Upon installation of Cheran’s technology, “multiple deficiencies” were uncovered in Transprint’s operations, leading to additional involvement from Cheran.
Yet, as of Oct. 29, Colorep and Transprint owed Leskanic $329,297, more than $224,000 of that amount for consulting.
Leskanic also notified Transprint that it was terminating its contract early, which cost Transprint another $270,000.
Leskanic won the nearly $600,000 judgment in court Wednesday. In a phone interview, he said he has discussed postponing enforcement of the judgment with Transprint CEO Larry Levy.
“It’s a very bad situation,” said Leskanic, who left as a consultant for Transprint in May. “I’m hoping they are able to work this out. The people there are really good people and they’re taking a shellacking.”
Company officials declined comment on the judgments.
Second Lawsuit
Danzas Corp. of Ohio, conducting business as DHL Global Forwarding, filed the second lawsuit against Transprint on Dec. 10.
According to court records, DHL provided Transprint with shipping and delivery services from Aug. 1, 2011, to May 4, 2012. Transprint “refused” to pay the $226,174 it owed, the complaint states.
Danzas won the judgment for that amount in court Tuesday.
Transprint did not file responses to either lawsuit. Don Showalter, a Harrisonburg attorney, who represented the company, did not return a call for comment Thursday.
Contact Preston Knight at 574-6272 or pknight@dnronline.com