Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon
Why is a lawsuit filed in the county court not open to public information?
The Amenities lawsuit was valid and the only criticism I have for that lawsuit is that it was settled too quickly by taking the first offer. And because it was a class action suit members of the class should have been given an opportunity to voice their opinion.
The IRS Inquiry that followed this lawsuit made some serious allegations concerning the 2003 bond purchase against Villages Lake-Sumter, Inc, The District and the Board members having voting rights. These allegations have not been proven true and I make no claim that they are true.
It appears that District Five and the three plaintiffs feel strongly enough about irregularities here that they felt compelled to file a lawsuit. It is common practice for defendant to denigrate such actions as frivolous.
Residents need to stay very aware of this issue and demand transparency concerning the 2003 lawsuit, the IRS Inquiry and the March 2014 lawsuit. We deserve no less as this is an issue of good faith and ethical handling by Villages Lake-Sumter, The District, the VHA, the POA, the county commissioners who oversee the administration of Sumter county and the Judges we elected to serve our interests and local state representatives
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I agree with what you say, particularly the need for residents to try to stay informed on this new class-action lawsuit. I feel that the Daily Sun should be ashamed at its burying the story until now.
However, I want to point out that the first class-action lawsuit documents are a matter of public record. There have been frequent posts in this forum by members alleging that they have been sealed. This is simply not true. There is a link to information at poa4us.org. Villagers are not informed about it for two reasons: First, most are not particularly interested. Second, the Daily Sun has under-reported the story and the articles that have appeared have given the Developer's spin.
As to your concern about whether the $43 million settlement was enough to compensate Villagers for the damages they incurred from the Developer's actions, only time will tell. But so far, things seem to be working out okay. The one thing that is clear is that an additional $43 million, that without the first class-action lawsuit would have been in the Developer's pocket, is now available for amenities. We owe the plaintiffs a vote of thanks for that.
Likewise, information on the current class-action lawsuit is a matter of public record:
https://www2.myfloridacounty.com/ccm...722f197914ea10
But to actually see the documents, it apparently is necessary to go to the court house since we are not going to get any real information from the Daily Sun. I am certain that somebody will bring this new lawsuit up at the POA meeting tomorrow night, and, hopefully, we will get some enlightenment there. Maybe we can ask the POA to publish a copy of the complaint and answer on its website, since few of us are inclined to make a trip to the courthouse to see them.