STUART — The owners of the historic Post Office Arcade in downtown Stuart on Tuesday filed an eviction and breach of contract lawsuit against Nature’s Way Cafe and its owner Marion Biggins, court papers show.

In the complaint filed in Martin County Circuit Court, an attorney representing Stuart Arcade Associates Inc., claimed Biggins and Nature’s Way, at 25 Southwest Osceola St., have failed to pay July’s rent and other expenses totaling $10,807. (more…)

PALM CITY — Hard financial times have turned tumultuous at a local church, with the pastor using a sheriff’s deputy to keep elders outside the sanctuary doors and the elders, in turn, filing suit to remove the pastor.

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Martin County Circuit Court, seven members of Palm City Christian Church charge Pastor Anthony “Pastor Tony” Galbicka with breach of fiduciary duty and seek a ruling “ousting” him and voiding the “improper and/or illegal” actions he took.

The suit also alleges Galbicka slandered one plaintiff, Edward Taudien, when the pastor told other church members Taudien had stolen money from the church. The suit counters that Taudien had donated more than $168,000 to the church and loaned it $200,000 to build the sanctuary at 6450 Martin Highway in western Palm City.

Galbicka could not be reached Thursday at his home in Palm City, at the church, via telephone or by e-mail.

Robert J. Watson, a Stuart attorney representing the plaintiffs, said he expects a hearing on his request for a temporary restraining order against Galbicka to be scheduled late this month or early August.

According to the lawsuit, the 80-member church “began to struggle financially” this year; at a May 28 meeting attended by Galbicka, the elders approved several spending cuts, including reducing the pastor’s salary “by a modest percentage.”

Watson said the cut was to be about 15 percent, adding the church paid Galbicka’s housing and car expenses plus $22,000 a year. Details of how to make the cut had not been worked out, he said. (more…)

PORT ST. LUCIE — Hundreds of Tesoro property owners aren’t waiting around while their subdivision’s developer grinds through bankruptcy court: They’re filing their own lawsuits against Ginn Resorts and its affiliates.

Property owners are charging Ginn with a host of wrongdoings, including selling lots through Ponzi schemes, fraudulently inflating property values, lying to and duping clients, failing to account for hundreds of thousands of dollars in membership dues and missing escrow accounts and backing out on promises to build amenities.

Timothy Vetrano, 72, a retiree from Manhasset, N.Y., who lives at Tesoro with his wife Marilyn, said his experience falls under “buyer beware.”
(more…)

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Fort Pierce-based Riverside National Bank is sending new debit cards to an undisclosed number of customers due to a nationwide breach of MasterCard account information.

Riverside customers impacted by the unauthorized breach have started to receive letters notifying them of the new cards and that until they arrive there would be limited access to their money with the old debit cards.

Lisa Jensen, Riverside public relations and communications vice president, said the new cards are expected to arrived in three to five business days.

“It is important to note that none of our customers have personally lost any of their funds as a result of this situation,” Jensen said.

Jim Turner, TCPalm.com