Today a federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida certified a lawsuit as a class action against the present owner of the Trump National Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter and the former owner of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa – Jupiter. The ruling permits plaintiffs, three club members, to pursue a class action lawsuit to recover millions of dollars of refundable deposits which they claim must be paid by the present owner of the Trump National Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter and the former owner of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa – Jupiter. In December, 2012, the club facilities of the former Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa – Jupiter were sold to Jupiter Golf Club, LLC, an entity owned by the Trump Organization.
The Court found that Plaintiffs Norman Hirsch, Matthew Dwyer, and Ralph Willard are adequate representatives of the class. Likewise, the Court appointed attorneys Seth Lehrman, Steven Jaffe and Mark Fistos of the law firm Farmer Jaffe Weissing as class counsel.
On August 8, 2013, Plaintiffs filed a class action complaint alleging that they signed agreements to be members of the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter, owned byRitz-Carlton. Plaintiffs The club facilities were later sold by Ritz-Carlton to Trump. Plaintiffs claim that Trump and Ritz-Carlton have failed to honor the agreed-upon terms and conditions of the Club membership categories; Class Members’ rights to refunds; and their rights upon sale of the Club. Plaintiffs further claim that each Defendant has systematically refused to provide Plaintiffs and Class
Members millions of dollars in refunds due them under the long-standing terms of their memberships both Defendants are and were bound to.
The Court has ordered that the lawsuit proceed as a class action on behalf of the following class: “All persons who purchased a Full Golf, Fractional Golf or Social and Spa membership from RBF to The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, paid a Membership Deposit, have not received a full refund of their Membership Deposit, and have not executed the Trump Legacy Addendum.”
Class members include individuals who purchased full golf, fractional golf or social and spa membership from RBF to The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, who paid a Membership Deposit, who have not received a full refund of their Membership Deposit, and who have not executed the Trump Legacy Addendum.