View Full Press Release PDF file with photos online at http://www.wojspubs.com
The World of Jimmy Star Publications Inc.
1940 E Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale FL 33304
+1 954.828.9979 Call Center
CONTACT: Jimmy Star, +1 954.828.9979, worldofjimmystar@yahoo.com
For Immediate Release
U.S. CONSTITUTION NOT UPHELD IN BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA
Pompano Beach, FL, March 15, 2010 – In a five year ongoing and very uphill battle against eminent domain abuse by the Community Redevelopment Agency and City of Pompano Beach, in Broward County, Florida, Gil Eriksen Properties, LLC has been continuously blockaded from presenting its case to a jury to defend itself from the illegal land grab of its property which housed the renown World of Jimmy Star Grand Castle Showrooms & Entertainment Complex.
The World of Jimmy Star Grand Castle Showrooms, home of the fashion designer Jimmy Star & his celebrity fashion house to the stars and cool public and his entertainment division working with television and film, was seized 4 years ago by an improperly formed and unauthorized Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which took the four lots of prime land and the historic buildings on it with the intent to demolish and resell the land for private development, even though it had no legal authority to do so. The 80 year-old historical buildings owned and restored at a great cost by Gil Eriksen Properties housed Jimmy Star’s fashion and entertainment empire and were visited by his celebrity friends for four years, with The Grand Castle Showrooms being a hallmark icon in his business, with its two grand stories, twelve rooms, his design studio, and the famous entertainment and photo/video set room “The Red Room.” Now the lots are demolished, and only one building remains in ruin as an abandoned, stripped, and ravaged shell of what once.
This is a call by the designer himself to draw attention to the ever-increasing problem whereby constitutional rights are being trampled on at the whim of phantom public entities and governments under the auspices of eminent domain and warn others that it can happen to them, too. “You know that saying, ‘You can’t go up against the government?’ Well I’m beginning to question if it is actually true! The thing is, we were just minding our own business and the government came and took our property! We didn’t have a choice! And now, 4 years, 7 lawyers, 6 judges, the Circuit Court, the District Court, several Pompano Beach and Broward County Commissioners, and a presidential election later, we are no closer to trial!? What’s going on with due process in Broward County? Is everyone in on the land grab game?” asks an exasperated and angry Jimmy Star.
Gil Eriksen Properties’ attorneys for the last 3 years of the 5 year process, Allan M. Rubin and Suzanne M. Driscoll of the Shutts & Bowen law firm, recently withdrew from the case on the very morning of trial, leaving Gil Eriksen Properties suddenly without representation, and halting the trial. “I thought we were showing up for trial, and finally after all this time we would get to tell our story to the jury. Then our own counsel entered a motion to withdraw from representing us! We were never even served such a motion beforehand, and before you could blink, trial was stopped!” says Drew Albright, Manager of Operations for The World of Jimmy Star. And this is just another of a long slew of odd and unusual happenings in this case, which together have ultimately continued to block Gil Eriksen Properties from its right to defend itself. “This whole time nobody ever wants talk about the facts,” continues Albright, “there is even a motion by Mitch Burnstein [the attorney for the CRA] on the table to prevent Gil Eriksen from testifying. Who ever heard of such a thing? Is it not your constitutional right to be able to defend yourself? It just goes on and on and I don’t see why right here in the USA everyone seems so scared to let a jury decide. We’re fine that the CRA wants to present its case, but don’t we get to present ours too?”
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