Fort Lauderdale, FL – June 3, 2019 – Greenspoon Marder , on behalf of client Westgate Resorts, filed a Motion for Summary Judgment after obtaining sanctions against Mitchell Sussman and his law firm, Mitchell Sussman, PA, in multiple instances. The court had previously entered a preliminary injunction requiring Mr. Sussman to cease his unlawful and deceitful business practices. In the 76-page one-of-a-kind Order on summary judgment, the judge concluded that Mr. Sussman intentionally and without justification interfered with Westgate’s relationships with its owners and that Mr. Sussman’s business practices – all of them – constituted deceptive and unfair practices in violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
According to the Court, Mr. Sussman intentionally interfered with owners’ contractual obligations to Westgate by directing owners to stop paying. Additionally, the Court noted that his directions to owners to stop their payments, made under the guise that doing so will rid them of their timeshares, are fraudulent and wrongful. Click here to view the full Order.
The real victims here are the Westgate owners and other timeshare owners that may have fallen victim to the deceptive, fraudulent and unlawful business practices of this “exit company” cottage industry. The Court referred to these owners as the “prey”; that’s precisely what the business model is for these “exit” companies.
Ultimately, it will be up to the timeshare owners to realize that the promises of these so-called “exit” companies are not true. Mr. Sussman is not alone. The Court, in its Order, noted the relationship between Mr. Sussman and Timeshare Exit Team (Reed Hein & Associates), a self-proclaimed “exit” company built on the unlawful and deceptive business model Mr. Sussman “pioneered”. Recently, another large “exit” company (Resort Release) and its attorneys, after being bombarded with lawsuits similar to Westgate’s, filed for bankruptcy, leaving thousands of timeshare owners in the lurch.
The Greenspoon Marder team was headed by partners Richard Epstein , Jeffrey Backman and senior counsel Eliot New .
About Greenspoon Marder Greenspoon Marder is a national full-service business law firm with 240 attorneys and 26 locations across the United States. We are ranked amongst American Lawyer ’s Am Law 200, as one of the top law firms in the U.S. since 2015. Since our inception in 1981, our firm has been committed to providing excellent client service through our cross-disciplinary, client-team approach. Our mission is to understand the challenges that our clients face, build collaborative relationships, and craft creative solutions designed and executed with long-term strategic goals in mind. We serve Fortune 500, middle-market public and private companies, start-ups, emerging businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs nationwide.
MEDIA CONTACT natalie.villanueva@gmlaw.com
This Greenspoon Marder LLP Client Alert is issued for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed or used as general legal advice nor a solicitation of any type. Please contact the author(s) or your Greenspoon Marder LLP contact if you have any questions regarding the currency of this information. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision. Before you decide, ask for written information about the lawyer’s legal qualifications and experience.
