BELLEVILLE -- A Missouri woman alleges she was taken for a surprise when a property she leased for her future dog grooming business turned out to be not as it was described.
Shannon Taylor of St. Louis sued property owners Michael Travers and MRT LLC last month in the St. Clair County Circuit Court alleging violations of the Consumer Fraud Act and breach of contract.
According to the complaint, Taylor’s issues with the defendants began after she moved from Florida to St. Louis. She said she hoped to launch her own business and used the money she made from selling her Florida home as a cushion to launch a high-end day care, grooming and boarding company for dogs.
After deciding to start her business in the Metro-East, she said contacted BarberMurphy to help her find the specific space. BarberMurphy broker Mike Durbin helped Taylor through the process and suggested she lease a property at 10890 Lincoln Trail, Fairview Heights, a proposal that came after the plaintiff mentioned she wanted to attract high-end clients and wanted a building that had proper heating and air conditioning.
At the time, Travers and MRT owned the property in question. Durbin told Taylor the property was exactly what she was looking for and gave her a commercial lease for the space. She signed a 63 month lease agreement and took possession of the property March 1, with the understanding that it would be used for her new business April 15 and invested $40,000 in the property, the suit states.
"Durbin represented to plaintiff that the property was ideal for her business and presented shiny new colorful brocliures reinforcing tliis belief," the suit claims.
But “to her chagrin, [she] discovered that the office space was not conducive to or ready for the opening of a dog daycare, boarding, and/or grooming business, contrary to assertions and/or representations made by both Durbin and Michael Travers,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit details several issues with the property from insufficient ventilation for the area that was meant to board pets, to at least one non-working sink in the grooming area. The suit alleges the roof was leaking, the hot water tank was broken, and the property did not have fire exit signs with emergency lighting. In addition, the drains in the building were clogged and there was mold growing in the property.
The suit alleges the city of Fairview Heights also performed an inspection June 5, and determined that there was too much moisture inside the walls, as well as signs of mildew. It also noticed the floor drains were stopped up and the floor was in desperate need of a repair.
The city provided the landlord with a deadline of July 8 to make the repairs, but the landlord refused, and suit was filed shortly after.
Taylor seeks attorney fees, interest, court cost and all just and proper relief. She is represented by attorney Christopher B. Bent from the Law Offices of Christopher Bent LLC, who did not respond for comment.
St. Clair County Circuit Court Case number 19L0555