Fine Art Registry® Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRUSTRATED CRUISE LINE ART AUCTION BUYERS SUE PARK WEST GALLERY AND
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES FOR FRAUD, CONSPIRACY AND OTHER CHARGES
(Phoenix, AZ, Farmington Hills, MI — 7 January 2009) A Complaint and Demand for Jury Trial was filed on 23 December 2008 against Park West Galleries, Inc., Albert Scaglione and Morris Shapiro (owner and gallery director, respectively) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., by the Farmington Hills, MI, attorneys, Kaufman, Payton and Chapa, for Plaintiffs Albert and Vivian Best, Sharon Day, Julian Howard, Deborah Austin, Cheryl Crist, Heidi Rice, Michael and Maria Vallillo and Martha Szostak, all customers of Park West Galleries and all, except for Albert and Vivian Best, Fine Art Registry members.
All the Plaintiffs were sold artwork by Park West Galleries. Their allegations include violation of Michigan's warranty in fine arts statute, fraud, violation of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, breach of contract, violation of the Michigan art multiple sales act, negligent misrepresentation, conspiracy and unjust enrichment. The Plaintiffs combined purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of art which was later found by experts to either be fake or have forged signatures, or to be heavily overpriced and misrepresented as bargains and investments by the Park West auctioneers and sales people responsible for the sales.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is included as a Defendant in the case of Sharon Day and Julian Howard because payment for their purchase was arranged and facilitated through Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. account, so the cruise line company was obviously directly involved in the sale.
All of the Plaintiffs have demanded refunds of the money paid for their purchases but all were refused by Park West, and Royal Caribbean denied responsibility and refused to help.
The case was filed with the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County, Michigan. The Plaintiffs are all demanding full refunds of the stated value of the art on the Park West appraisals, plus costs and damages. They are also asking the court for an injunction preventing Park West from selling any more of the Dalí prints with supposed Dalí signatures and from reselling any of the allegedly fraudulent artwork sold to these Plaintiffs.
Donald L. Payton, partner at Kaufman, Payton & Chapa, said: "Over the last few months, numerous people have contacted our firm with the same complaint: they purchased artwork from the Defendants who misrepresented the authenticity and/or value of the pieces they purchased. Our clients believed they were buying an investment, when what they received was virtually worthless. The purpose of this litigation filed on their behalf, is not just to get well-deserved compensation for these victims, but to expose the self-proclaimed experts who have for years intentionally pawned off supposedly famous and valuable artwork on the unsuspecting public, including our clients. We are hoping this will prevent other people from falling into the same trap."
Ralph C. Chapa, Jr. Partner at the same legal firm said, "The decision to file a Complaint against Defendants Park West Galleries, Inc., Albert Scaglione, Morris Shapiro, and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. on behalf of our clients was not taken lightly. Our clients all purchased art in good faith from the Defendants, and were shocked to learn that the artwork they purchased was either fraudulent, misrepresented, and/or its price was grossly inflated. Only after having their reasonable requests for a full refund rebuffed by Defendants, did our clients come to the conclusion that their only hope to be made whole again was to resort to the court system. Throughout the course of this litigation, we look forward to the opportunity to protect the interests of our clients, and to get them the justice they deserve."
Fine Art Registry CEO, Theresa Franks, whose company offers advocacy to victims of art fraud and abuse said, "This suit represents only a handful of the 220 or more Park West customers who have come to us for help with what they consider fraud and misrepresentation. We are hoping that the judge will help put a stop to this abuse."
ABOUT KAUFMAN, PAYTON & CHAPA:
Founded in 1975, Kaufman, Payton & Chapa, now has offices in Farmington Hills, Detroit and Grand Rapids and represents clients throughout the state of Michigan. Known for the aggressiveness and tenacity of it attorneys and its results-oriented approach to cases, the firm represents clients in trial and appellate matters large and small. For more information visit www.kaufmanlaw.com or contact Jonathan H. Schwartz – (248) 626 5000 JHSchwartz@kaufmanlaw.com.
ABOUT FINE ART REGISTRY:
Fine Art Registry® is today's only high tech solution to the age old problems that have existed in the art world since before the Ancient Greeks: How to establish provenance, prove authenticity and ownership, prevent forgery and fakery, deter theft and, basically, make it possible to create, buy and sell works of art with the security of knowing that they are what they claim to be. Full information on FAR® and how the system of tagging and registering art is available at www.FineArtRegistry.com.
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