Vimal Kohli, a co-founder and CEO of Hotel Checkins Inc., has filed a lawsuit against his business partner, alleging severe misconduct that includes intellectual property theft and wrongful termination. The complaint was filed by Kohli on January 13, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, against Vishal Saxena.
The case revolves around Hotel Checkins Inc., a company founded in September 2023 by Kohli and Saxena to target the corporate travel concierge market. Ownership was equally divided between them with an additional 10% allocated for an employee pool. Kohli contributed proprietary technology from his other venture, Chekins Inc., under a licensing agreement valued at $2 million over four years. The initial success saw the company launch its minimum viable product (MVP) by January 2024, securing 50 corporate clients.
However, tensions arose when Saxena allegedly began misrepresenting Chekins Inc.'s brand publicly in March 2024, damaging its reputation. In October 2024, Saxena purportedly orchestrated a board meeting without Kohli's knowledge to remove him as CEO and board member—a move claimed to be fraudulent and against corporate bylaws. Further accusations include Saxena unlawfully copying proprietary code from Chekins Inc., blocking Kohli’s access to bank accounts and email systems of Hotel Checkins Inc., misappropriating funds, and withdrawing $50,000 unauthorizedly.
Kohli accuses Saxena of breaching fiduciary duty by prioritizing personal gain over the company's interests, causing significant reputational and financial harm. The complaint lists multiple causes of action: intellectual property theft resulting in $4 million damages including punitive damages; wrongful termination with $1.2 million damages; fraud and financial malfeasance leading to $1.5 million damages; brand misrepresentation causing $1 million in damages; breach of fiduciary duty amounting to another $1.5 million; breach of contract due to failure in honoring agreements; unjust enrichment from unauthorized use of resources; and conversion involving wrongful withholding of property.
Kohli seeks general and special damages totaling $6.25 million along with punitive damages amounting to $4.6 million. He also requests pre- and post-judgment interest, costs of suit including attorney’s fees, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Vimal Kohli is Dylan Hackett from The Hackett Law Firm while the case is overseen by Judge J. Nguyen under Case No.: 25CV456459.