CLEARWATER — A Florida woman is suing a catering company, alleging violation of the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA).
Rachel Stanger filed a complaint Nov. 12 in Pinellas County Circuit Court against Milan Catering and Event Designs LLC, Milan Catering LLC and Roberta Montelione-Newcombe, alleging they violated FCCPA through abusive, deceptive and unfair debt collection practices.
According to the complaint, on July 21, 2017, Stanger suffered damages to her reputation as a result of the defendants' malicious conduct by unlawfully communicating with Stanger's employer without her permission or knowledge.
The suit says the defendants publicly published personal information on an alleged debt by the plaintiff via The Knot website with the intent to discredit Stanger, attempted to back bill her for alleged additional services on her wedding day, and coerced Stanger to remove or amend her negative consumer review about the wedding services she experienced during her ceremony March 4, 2017 at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants manufactured a debt in retaliation to criticism of their wedding services and related business practices, attempted to collect the alleged debt by communicating directly with Stanger's employer without her consent or knowledge, and coerced the plaintiff to remove or amend her consumer review or face continued invasion of her privacy, defamation of her character and further debt collection communications.
Stanger seeks trial by jury, maximum statutory damages, injunctive relief, attorney fees and court costs, actual damages and all other proper relief. She is represented by attorney Ian R. Leavengood of LeavenLaw in St. Petersburg.
Pinellas County Circuit Court case number 18-9443-CO