Lawsuit: Offit Kurman Unlawfully Demanded Condo Owners Pay for Repairs to Collapsed Building

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Offit Kurman, P.C. is facing a proposed class action claiming the agency engaged in deceptive collection practices by demanding that condominium owners pay a sizeable debt stemming from repairs made to their partially collapsed condo building.

Filed by four condo owners, the timeline in the complaint begins on October 2, 2016, when one of the three River Towers Condominium buildings in Alexandria, Virginia, “partially collapsed,” causing damage to approximately 180 condos. Following the event, The Minkoff Company performed necessary “property stabilization and restoration services” to the building before entering into a payment dispute with River Towers’ insurance company, the suit explains.

On August 11, 2017, the defendant reportedly sent to each individual condo unit owner in all three River Towers buildings a Memorandum of Mechanic’s Lien on behalf of the Minkoff Company seeking $272,936.39 for repairs, which was to be split among the owners.

“The individual unit owners, including Plaintiffs, have no contract with the Minkoff,” the case attests. “There is no privity of contract between the Minkoff and the individual owners, including Plaintiffs.”

The lawsuit argues that Offit Kurman, in its attempt to collect a debt, failed to adhere to federal debt collection law by neglecting to provide condo owners with a mandatory written notice of their rights within five days of sending its initial communication. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims the defendant made “false, deceptive, and/or misleading representations” with its Memorandum of Mechanic’s Lien by demanding that the plaintiffs and other condo owners pay “amounts in excess of the amount actually due, or not legally authorized.”