Davie, FL, Dec. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In an ongoing David vs. Goliath court battle, Gigi Stetler and her company RV Sales of Broward is seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages from Palm Beach developer Mark Bellissimo for civil theft.
Stetler will face Bellissimo in court this week at the Palm Beach County Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway, Court 10H, in Palm Beach.
“Mark Bellissimo thinks he is untouchable. He isn’t. I won’t be intimidated or forced to back down. He needs to be held accountable for everything he’s done,” Stetler said.
Stetler says she loaned 240,000 dollars worth of equipment (which included audio, visual and electric equipment, along with furniture) to Bellissimo when she had a campground lease to rent her RVs at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington. But Bellissimo, who owns the festival, allegedly never returned the equipment after ending Stetler’s campground lease and sponsorship deal.
According to Stetler, this all started in 2009 when Bellissimo conspired with Marcus Lemonis, the host of CNBC’s The Profit and the CEO of Camping World, to destroy Stetler’s livelihood.
Stetler says that Marcus Lemonis reached out multiple times to purchase her competing RV business, RV Sales of Broward. When Stetler wouldn’t sell, Lemonis allegedly had Bellissimo take action.
As detailed in this ABC Channel 10 piece, according to Stetler, Bellissimo canceled her campground lease and sponsorship deal without any reason. She was no longer allowed to rent her RVs at the camping ground and Bellissimo allegedly gave all of her customers to Lemonis’ Camping World.
Stetler says, when she tried to set up her business nearby, she was banned from the Winter Equestrian Festival property completely.
Facing financial ruin, Stetler filed a protest with the United States Equestrian Federation, the governing agency for the festival, alleging she'd been wrongfully banned. She grilled Bellissimo on the stand herself. The United States Equestrian Federation not only ruled in her favor, saying Bellissimo had wrongfully banned her from the property, but also reportedly fined Bellissimo and ordered she be allowed back to the Winter Equestrian Festival.
But despite this victory, Stetler contends that Bellissimo has never returned the 240,000 dollars worth of RV equipment.
Stetler has a long history of fighting for justice. Back in September, Stetler and RV Sales of Broward boldly took on General Electric Commercial Distribution Finance (GECDF), the finance division of the mammoth General Electric Company, for breach of settlement and won in a stunning and extremely hard-fought victory at the Broward County Courthouse.
Gigi Stetler would like to invite the media to attend the trial for her testimony on Monday and Tuesday, as well as Bellissimo’s testimony, which will immediately follow hers. She is available for interviews.
About Gigi Stetler
Gigi Stetler is CEO of RV Sales of Broward, the first and only woman-owned RV dealership in the country. Stetler is one of only a handful of top RV experts in the country and has 30 years of experience in an industry that has been traditionally dominated by men. Stetler also launched RV Advisor, an online resource designed to effectively connect millions of RV owners, dealers, and service centers through an innovative mobile-friendly platform. A proud supporter of the veteran community, RV Advisor offers unlimited free membership for all veterans.