His expenses may have been artificial.
An AI software firm is suing a former employee, alleging he abused the company’s expense policy to the tune of more than $700,000.
BigID, whose software uses machine learning and automation to organize and manage data, claims Nickolas Maxwell owes them close to a million for expenses unrelated to his work, including a one-night hotel stay and dinner for $1,600. In other instances, BigID alleges Maxwell repeatedly submitted the same expense, receiving multiple payments.
Maxwell, who lives in the United Kingdom and worked remotely for BigID, started in his role as Senior Vice President of Sales on March 1, 2022. His job entailed traveling, and he did a lot of it, the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit contends.
During his fourth full month of his employment, Maxwell racked up $20,000 in expenses, according to the lawsuit.
However, the July 7 filing claims the first whiff of alleged inpropriety came in the fall of 2024, when “serious red flags went up about the legitimacy and veracity of Maxwell’s expense claims” as well as “the manner in which he was submitting” reimbursement claims, it claims in the suit.
The lawsuit claims Maxwell couldn’t “obtain satisfactory explanations to the questions” BigID’s internal investigators were asking, “including basic requests for supporting documentation demonstrating that Maxwell had incurred certain expenses for a business purpose.”
As the true scope of Maxwell’s “gross abuse” of the expense reimbursement system started to become clear, the lawsuit alleges Maxwell grew more unwilling to discuss the matter — and his remimbursement payments were frozen.
The lawsuit alleges Maxwell resigned in October of 2024, “upon learning that BigID was going to suspend his employment and promptly initiate a disciplinary hearing that could result in his termination for cause.”
He even wrote about leaving the company in a LinkedIn post, and bragged about “seeing all the plans and processes we put in place be executed, surpassing the targets set, having record breaking quarters and years, and seeing the growth of the international team quadruple in size.”
Maxwell’s last day at BigID was Nov. 17, 2024. He could not be reached for comment.
BigID’s lawsuit claims the firm is seeking at least $250,000 in damages as well as lawyers costs and fees.
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