Lawsuit Filed by Quisenberry for Two Hispanic Immigrants against Century 21 for False Real Estate Investments Claims Fraud and Loss of Life Savings.SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , Calif. -- Jose Guillermo Garcia
tr.v. em·broiled, em·broil·ing, em·broils 1. To involve in argument, contention, or hostile actions: "Avoid . . . in a lawsuit against the Simi Valley, CA office of Century 21 and other individuals for the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars due to fraud and "false real estate investments." At a news conference held today at the home of Garcia in Simi Valley, the two workers and their attorney, Daniel J. Quisenberry, discussed their grievances against the local office of the international residential real estate company and affiliated individuals and gave details on a lawsuit seeking restitution of monies lost--the bulk of their life savings--in "bogus" investments. According to Quisenberry, an amended complaint amended complaint n. what results when the party suing (plaintiff or petitioner) changes the complaint he/she has filed. It must be in writing, and can be done before the complaint is served on any defendant, by agreement between the parties (usually their lawyers), will be filed in the Simi Valley branch of the Ventura Superior Court February 15. The lawsuit was originally filed July 30, 2007 with 11 causes of action, including: Fraud, Negligence, Breach of Written and Oral Contracts and Breach of Fair and Honest Dealing and Good Faith by a Real Estate Licensee. In addition to Century 21 Hilltop, defendants in the lawsuit include: Northcia, Inc. Roland and Maria C. Northland north·land also North·land n. A region in the north of a country or an area. north  land , Sergio Garcia and
Robert and Pat Ann Conlee. The lawsuit seeks in excess of $250,000 plus
interest and penalties as well as punitive and exemplary damages exemplary damages n. often called punitive damages, these are damages requested and/or awarded in a lawsuit when the defendant's willful acts were malicious, violent, oppressive, fraudulent, wanton, or grossly reckless. , legal
costs and specified court orders.
Garcia, 54, a resident of Simi Valley, emigrated to the U.S. in 1981 from Guatemala. Married with three children, he is a project manager in the construction industry. Monroy, 47, came to the U.S. from Guatemala in 1988 and resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three children. He owns a small automobile repair shop An automobile repair shop (also known as a garage) is a place where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics. Some auto parts stores also maintain service operations. Examples include Pep Boys, Walmart, and Sears Auto Center. in the downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or area. The lawsuit contends that Century 21 Hilltop and its agents enticed Garcia and Monroy into a series of false real estate deals which they participated in based on the recommendations of the defendants and the assurance they were sound, prudent investments. They invested hundreds of thousands of dollars over a five-year period and never acquired any actual ownership of property. Quisenberry commented: "These two immigrants, who had no knowledge of U.S. real estate practices and a poor command of the English language, were basically 'duped' by people they trusted and the reputation of Century 21. As a result, they were enticed to take out lines of credit on their homes. It cost them their life savings and left them in great debt. Instead of making things right, Century 21 and its agents would rather embroil em·broil tr.v. em·broiled, em·broil·ing, em·broils 1. To involve in argument, contention, or hostile actions: "Avoid . . . these poor people in litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. ." Noting that both of them had worked in construction capacities for nearly 10 years at the Century 21 Hilltop office, Quisenberry added: "Century 21 states that 'our business is built on bringing our clients to their dreams and goals.' My clients feel that Century 21 has turned the lives of their two families into a nightmare. There does not appear to be any honorable effort by any of the defendants to repay these two hard-working men." Garcia emphasized that he and Monroy still can't believe that people they felt were looking out for their best interests could have deceived them in this manner. He remarked: "We came to this country to work hard and seek a good life. Now almost all we have worked for is gone." |
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