Jewish group sues Bonaventure Resort due to canceled Passover trip

Bonaventure Resort and Spa

A group of Orthodox and conservative Jews is seeking a refund for thousands of dollars in deposits they paid to attend a Passover retreat at a resort in South Florida that was canceled due to coronavirus.

Milana Bachayev, a Colorado nurse, claims she saved for three years and spent more than $5,000 to attend a retreat that was supposed to have started at Bonaventure Resort and Spa in Weston on April 8, according to the Daily Business Review.

Attorneys Paul J. Schwiep and Daniel Blonsky of Miami-based Coffey Burlington are representing the plaintiff in the suit seeking class action. The lawyers said hundreds of people have been impacted by the cancellations, according to the Daily Business Review.

The complaint alleges breach of contract by the resort and the Miami Beach-based kosher travel and tourism company Kosherica LLC, which organized the event. The vacation package cost more than $12,000, which included room and board.

Customers were offered 65 percent of their money back, according to the lawsuit, the Daily Business Review reported.

Lawrence M. Schantz of Aaronson Schantz Beiley in Miami, who represents the defendants, said most customers agreed to either attend next year’s program or accept 65 percent of their money back, according to the Daily Business Review.

The lawsuit follows a suit filed by New York City’s Magen David Yeshivah day school against the Eden Roc hotel in Miami Beach. The school alleged it was owed $2.3 million in deposits after it had to cancel plans to rent out the 621-room hotel due to coronavirus, according to the Miami Herald.

More lawsuits over canceled trips and lost deposits are sure to play out in the coming weeks and months as coronavirus has forced all non-essential businesses in Florida to be shut down. Hotels across South Florida are closed except for “essential lodgers.”

[DBR] — Keith Larsen

The post Jewish group sues Bonaventure Resort due to canceled Passover trip appeared first on The Real Deal Miami.

from The Real Deal Miami & Miami Florida Real Estate & Housing News | & Curbed Miami - All https://therealdeal.com/miami/2020/04/28/jewish-group-sues-bonaventure-resort-due-to-canceled-passover-trip/
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