Irate Customer Files Class-Action Suit
A dissatisfied customer has accused Glen Ivy Financial Group--the nation’s largest time-share company--of overselling and overpricing its resorts in a class-action lawsuit filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court.
Daniel Puma of Novato claims he purchased a Glen Ivy time-share in 1987 and then had trouble getting reservations at some of the company’s 24 resorts because the Corona company had sold more time-shares than it had available.
Puma’s attorney will ask a judge to certify Puma’s complaint as a class-action lawsuit, which will entitle many of Glen Ivy’s 60,000 customers to share in whatever judgment--if any--is awarded in the case. Friday’s complaint asks that a trust fund be established by Glen Ivy for potential refunds.
Puma’s lawsuit is the second complaint filed this week against Glen Ivy seeking class-action certification.
On Wednesday, Lee Heiman, an Altadena resident and Glen Ivy time-share owner, sued the company in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Puma, 41, said in Friday’s lawsuit that he was so dissatisfied with Glen Ivy’s services that he stopped making monthly payments a year after his purchase.
He now claims he has discovered that Glen Ivy took back his deed in 1989 without going through legal foreclosure proceedings.
Glen Ivy had no immediate comment on Puma’s lawsuit.
The Corona company is under investigation by the Riverside County Grand Jury for allegedly overselling some of its resorts and forging the signatures of defaulted or inactive customers on deeds in order to resell them to different customers.
Glen Ivy, which has not been charged with any wrongdoing, has adamantly denied the accusations.
Puma said he purchased a peak-season time-share at Glen Ivy’s June Lake resort but had trouble getting a reservation there and at some of the company’s other resorts, which are located in eight states.
“He found that he was neither able to get premium time in June Lake or decent time elsewhere, particularly Laguna (Beach), Hawaii and the other choice properties,” said Michael Sherman, Puma’s attorney.
Sherman’s law firm specializes in filing class-action lawsuits and has targeted a number of entities in the news in recent years, including Northrop Corp., Drexel Burnham Lambert and even the lip-syncing duo Milli Vanilli.
