Lawsuit: Time-Share Owners Fleeced Twice

A lawsuit charges that Florida swindlers gypped time-share owners twice – first by getting an up-front fee for lining up a supposed buyer and then taking another fee in the guise of a law firm trying to recover the initial fraud.

In the suit filed in Palm Beach County Court, the Center for Legal Justice charges that Consumer Protective Agency, Inc., Innovative Resorts International, Inc., and their owners ran a telemarketing operation that, since September 2009, has solicited time-share owners, falsely claiming that it had buyers waiting to purchase time-share units.

The suit says that Consumer Protective Agency would persuade time-share owners that they needed to pay an upfront fee to complete the sale of their unit with 120 days.

When sellers paid the fee but didn't receive the proceeds of the supposed sale, they were contacted by Consumer Protection Agency, Inc., which falsely claimed that it was initiating legal action against Innovative Resorts International and could recover the victims' money – for a fee, the suit alleges.

The suit seeks damages for unfair trade practices, tortuous interference and civil conspiracy.

The Center for Legal Justice calls itself “a Florida Bar-compliant legal-referral service” and lists itself as the plaintiff in the suit, which was filed by attorney Paul Kennedy of Delray Beach.