Martial arts studio sues former employee for theft

A martial arts studio is suing a former employee, claiming he stole more than $100,000 through a credit card processing company.

Tiger Martial Arts Inc. filed a lawsuit Jan. 13 in the Cook County Circuit Court against former employee Ethan Hong and Square Inc.

According to the complaint, Hong, as an employee of Tiger Martial Arts, opened up a credit card processing account on Jan. 12, 2012 with Square Inc. without knowledge or consent from his employer.

Soon thereafter, the studio claims Hong accepted tuition payments with the Square account in excess of $100,000. It also claims Square Inc. did not verify that Hong was an authorized representative of the studio before opening the account.

Tiger Martial Arts Inc. is suing for all money diverted from it and revenue lost due to harm to its reputation. It is being represented in the case by Chicago attorney Jeffrey T. Peterson.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L000359.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.