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I recall these owners used to deposit heavy to DAE too. It used to make me chuckle..knowing the area and the property. ANYTHING they exchanged for was better than what they owned. Good for them. I hope they can collect.
http://www.vvdailypress.com/articles...-vacation.html
Jury awards $1 million to vacation club members
September 12, 2012 7:46 AM
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Tomoya Shimura, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • A jury awarded more than $1 million to 136 Silver Lakes Vacation Club timeshare members who alleged that the resort fraudulently imposed assessments to upgrade facilities.
After deliberating less than an hour on Monday, the 12 jurors at Victorville Superior Court decided that William Bunch, who was the president of SLVC, should pay $667,000 in punitive damages.
The same jury reached a unanimous verdict Friday that the club, Bunch and past general manager Terri Croan committed fraud, malice and oppression as well as breach of contract and illegal assessments. The jury granted the plaintiffs $331,722.78 in damages — the total amount they paid for membership.
“It’s very rare in civil cases you get 12-0 on everything,” said Tristan Pelayes, who represented the plaintiffs. “It usually happens in criminal court.”
The plaintiffs will receive a total of about $1.5 million including attorney fees, Pelayes said.
The plaintiffs claimed they were “fraudulently informed” they could trade their points for other resorts enrolled with the Resorts Condominiums International LLC, a time-share exchange network, according to the complaint.
But RCI dropped SLVC from its network between 2003 and 2008 after people complained about the dilapidated property, and the members couldn’t trade their points anymore, the complaint stated.
The club association tried to renovate the property around 2007 to comply with RCI standards. The plaintiffs claimed the association charged them with “illegal assessments” to pay for the $3 million upgrades without their approval, according to the complaint.
The club asked its members to pay $9,000 to use upgraded facilities or $1,500 to maintain their membership. When they refused, the club filed collection suits against them, according to the complaint.
Bunch said that the one-sided verdict left him “speechless” and he is considering filing an appeal. The club board didn’t know that special assessments required majority votes from timeshare members, Bunch said.
He said he wasn’t on the board when the club imposed special assessments in 2008. Although he’s spent time at the club because of the litigation, he doesn’t hold any position there, Bunch said. He came to the phone when the Daily Press called the club Tuesday.
Pelayes said SLVC time-share members who weren’t included in the lawsuit can hire their own attorneys and file their own cases
http://www.vvdailypress.com/articles...-vacation.html
Jury awards $1 million to vacation club members
September 12, 2012 7:46 AM
ShareThis| Print Story | E-Mail Story
Tomoya Shimura, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • A jury awarded more than $1 million to 136 Silver Lakes Vacation Club timeshare members who alleged that the resort fraudulently imposed assessments to upgrade facilities.
After deliberating less than an hour on Monday, the 12 jurors at Victorville Superior Court decided that William Bunch, who was the president of SLVC, should pay $667,000 in punitive damages.
The same jury reached a unanimous verdict Friday that the club, Bunch and past general manager Terri Croan committed fraud, malice and oppression as well as breach of contract and illegal assessments. The jury granted the plaintiffs $331,722.78 in damages — the total amount they paid for membership.
“It’s very rare in civil cases you get 12-0 on everything,” said Tristan Pelayes, who represented the plaintiffs. “It usually happens in criminal court.”
The plaintiffs will receive a total of about $1.5 million including attorney fees, Pelayes said.
The plaintiffs claimed they were “fraudulently informed” they could trade their points for other resorts enrolled with the Resorts Condominiums International LLC, a time-share exchange network, according to the complaint.
But RCI dropped SLVC from its network between 2003 and 2008 after people complained about the dilapidated property, and the members couldn’t trade their points anymore, the complaint stated.
The club association tried to renovate the property around 2007 to comply with RCI standards. The plaintiffs claimed the association charged them with “illegal assessments” to pay for the $3 million upgrades without their approval, according to the complaint.
The club asked its members to pay $9,000 to use upgraded facilities or $1,500 to maintain their membership. When they refused, the club filed collection suits against them, according to the complaint.
Bunch said that the one-sided verdict left him “speechless” and he is considering filing an appeal. The club board didn’t know that special assessments required majority votes from timeshare members, Bunch said.
He said he wasn’t on the board when the club imposed special assessments in 2008. Although he’s spent time at the club because of the litigation, he doesn’t hold any position there, Bunch said. He came to the phone when the Daily Press called the club Tuesday.
Pelayes said SLVC time-share members who weren’t included in the lawsuit can hire their own attorneys and file their own cases
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