Former Sappington Farmers Market owner suing current owner
Clayton-Richmond Heights, Chesterfield, Maplewood, Webster Groves, Affton-Shrewsbury, Sunset Hills-Crestwood, Kirkwood
Former Sappington Farmers Market owner Tessa Greenspan (Tovah Enterprises, Inc.) is suing current owner Farm to Family Naturally in the St. Louis County courtroom of Judge Jim Hartenbach over a promissory note executed when the market was sold to Smith in July 2008.
Farm to Family Naturally is owned by six investors who are farmers, cattle ranchers, pork producers, and business owners. Nancy A. Smith of Fairdealing, MO, is listed as Farm to Family Naturally’s registered agent, according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.
According to court documents, Greenspan alleges that Farm to Family Naturally has failed to make a payment on the $234,058.04 promissory note since Sept. 2, 2010.
Greenspan further alleges that she has notified Smith of the balance and that Smith has refused to pay.
Greenspan is seeking a judgement for that money, plus interest at the highest lawful rate or at 9 percent per year since default, 15 percent of her attorney’s fees, and all costs expended in the collection of the note.
Greenspan, a Chesterfield resident, was CEO and president of Sappington Farmers Market from 1981 to 2008 and is running a XANGO juice business.
The Sappington Farmers Market is located at 8400 Watson Road and consolidates, distributes and sells foods grown by small family farmers for consumers, buyers clubs, day care centers and schools in the Greater St. Louis area.
Brentwood sues Post-Dispatch regarding Sunshine Law
Clayton-Richmond Heights, Maplewood-Brentwood
The city of Brentwood sued the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Aug. 19 seeking a declaratory judgment from St. Louis County Judge David Vincent concerning a document requested by the newspaper.
According to the petition for declaratory judgment, the document is a copy of a Letter of Understanding regarding the repayment of overtime between Brentwood and Local 2665 IAFF, the union representing the City of Brentwood firefighters.
The Post-Dispatch requested the document as part of an investigation by reporter and Brentwood resident Paul Hampel that exposed more than 24 years of Brentwood firefighters receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime pay for hours they did not work.
Brentwood, and the union, has asserted it is a closed record and is seeking an opinion from the court on whether the document is a closed or open record under the Missouri Sunshine Act. The Government in the Sunshine Act is a 1976 law intended to create transparency in government.
Brentwood alleges in the court documents it is uncertain as to the legality of treating the Letter of Understanding as a closed record, particularly in light of a case currently pending in the city, Ishmon v. St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners.
“The city is requesting a judicial determination of the propriety of closing this record under the Sunshine Law,” Brentwood attorney Frank Albrecht commented.
Crown Capital CEO suing business partner who was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison
Ballwin-Ellisville, Clayton-Richmond Heights, Chesterfield, Creve Coeur, Florissant
Creve Coeur-based Crown Capital Corporation president and CEO Bill Breece sued former American Healthcare Management (AHM) CEO Robert D. Wachter on Aug. 17 in the St. Louis County courtroom of Judge Steve Goldman.
Breece and Wachter are the owners of R&W Holdings and also held the controlling interest in four other companies — all real estate holding companies in which real estate was leased to nursing home operators and eventually sold.
On Sept. 19, 2006, more than $9.6 million of the proceeds from the sale were distributed to R&W by Chicago Title Company. Breece alleges in documents that Wachter distributed funds to R&W and other parties without his consent.
According to the court documents, Wachter informed Breece in writing that he believes he is entitled to additional compensation from R&W for attorney’s fees and fines in a criminal matter in which he has pleaded guilty.
Wachter, a Chesterfield resident, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2007 for his role in a health care fraud perpetrated by AHM.
Between January 1998 and June 30, 2001, Wachter was the CEO of AHM, which managed long term-care facilities. Wachter determined the budget for all the nursing homes, and as a result of the staffing limitations that Wachter put in place, the facilities had insufficient nursing staff to meet the needs of the residents.
In addition, during this time, Wachter and AHM continued to bill Medicare and Medicaid for
services they knew were inadequate or not performed at all. One 78-year-old AHM patient was beaten by an employee and later died. Others were found covered in insects.
AHM operated the Skilled and Assistive Living Center of St. Louis; Scenic View Skilled Care, formerly known as Westview Nursing Center, in Herculaneum; Florissant Skilled Care; Oak View Skilled Care, Jefferson City; and Oak Forest Skilled Care, Ballwin.
According to the court documents Breece has repeatedly demanded that Wachter place all the sale proceeds and other bank accounts of R&W in an account which requires the signatures of both Wachter and Breece. Wachter has allegedly refused to do so.
Robert Leggat of Ottsen, Mauze, Leggat & Belz, L.C. is representing Breece. A call placed to him went unreturned.