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Complaint Filed Over Acting Classes
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Published: June 12, 2008
TAMPA - At least a dozen families plan to seek restitution in court because their children's dreams of stardom were dashed at the Tampa Convention Center about two weeks ago when a company promising them acting classes vanished.
Charles Gallagher, a St. Petersburg lawyer representing the families, filed a civil complaint Wednesday against the California-based company, Pacific Modeling and Acting Academy. Gallagher said he is seeking a cumulative refund of more than $15,000, as well as damages and fees.
The complaint alleges breach of contract and fraud.
"We gave them the opportunity to refund the money, and their silence has been their refusal," he said.
In addition, the Florida attorney general's office said Wednesday that it has received 21 complaints about the company. Officials are reviewing the complaints to determine whether they have jurisdiction to investigate.
Gallagher said his research found the company has similar ill-fated operations in Tennessee, New Jersey and Hollywood, Fla.
Each of the families lost from $2,400 to $9,000 after first attending an audition at the convention center, then signing contracts for classes. When they arrived at the convention center May 31 for the classes, they were told the classes were canceled because the company was considering bankruptcy, he said.
"You had kids in tears, kids in corners, children saying, 'They robbed our parents,' " said Lynda Reyes of Tampa, who paid $2,495 for classes for her 11-year-old daughter, Jerika, after a scout at the audition told Reyes that Jerika was one of 10 percent selected for the program.
The company's registered agent, Stanley C. Robinson of Danville, Calif., did not return calls placed Wednesday seeking comment.
The company advertised on Radio Disney, Nickelodeon and other radio and television stations, said Reyes, 43, and another parent, Susy Medrano, 32, of Riverview. Their children and relatives heard the advertisements repeatedly, calling for youngsters to audition for a "Hannah Montana" commercial or show.
At the audition, the children wrote 100-word essays about their desire to entertain, filled out applications, supplied two photos and read commercials about toothpaste and orange juice in front of a camera. The company's brochures and talk of representing John Travolta and Mario Lopez, as well as the setting, dazzled them, the parents said.
"It was held at the convention center, which is why we didn't give it a lot of thought," Reyes said. "How hard is it to rent those rooms?"
Both parents said their children have had brushes with fame, participating in pageants, and they love music.
Medrano said her 11-year-old daughter, Alicia, and her 9-year-old daughter, Julyssa, auditioned but only Alicia was chosen. Her husband, a subcontractor who installs tile and carpet, borrowed $2,950 from his employer to pay for a photo shoot and six weeks of modeling classes, she said. Their signed contract, filed in court, says the modeling agency will "use its best efforts" to make classes available should problems arise.
"We looked at it like, maybe this is a beginning for us," she said. "We thought we were making the right choice."
After the classes didn't materialize, Medrano said, "it was devastating to us as parents. Not only did we make a mistake, but we put our daughter's feelings in the middle of this."
Reyes, who works for a broker, said more important than losing the money is her daughter's loss of trust. "The first thing she said was, 'I'll never trust an adult again.' That's a hard pill to swallow," she said. "A couple times she's said to me, 'Can I trust you?' She's never said that before. She never had reason to. ... I can't blame her."
News Channel 8 reporter Krista Klaus contributed to this report. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.
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