|
Article Courtesy of
The Boca Post
By Mike Thomas
Published September 22, 2026
|
BOCA RATON — A tennis and pickleball professional who ran the racquet and
fitness programs at the Lotus Palm community in Boca Raton has sued the
neighborhood's homeowners association, its property management company and three
board members, alleging in a new civil complaint that an association-wide email
accused him of stealing money.
|
The complaint was filed Sept. 14, 2026 in
the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for
Palm Beach County. The case, Swede Dreams, L.L.C. and
William Ljungstrom v. Lotus Palm Homeowners Association,
Inc., et al., carries case number 502026CA010374XXXAMB and
was assigned to Division AK, Circuit Civil Central, the
docket shows.
Named as defendants are Lotus Palm Homeowners Association,
Inc.; GRS Management Associates, Inc., which does business
as GRS Community Management; and board members Yan Shvarts,
Lori Murrin and Jeffrey Spitzer, each sued individually. The
plaintiffs are Ljungstrom and his single-member company,
Swede Dreams, L.L.C., which the complaint describes as a
provider of fitness, tennis and pickleball management
services at South Florida racquet centers. Court records
list Matthew S. Nelles and Kaila A. Jones of Johnson &
Martin, P.A., in Fort Lauderdale, as attorneys for the
plaintiffs.
According to the complaint, Ljungstrom began providing
racquet center services to the association as director of
racquet sports on or about April 2, 2025 under an
independent contractor agreement, and began running the
fitness amenities as director of fitness on or about May 1,
2025. The filing says the association renewed both
agreements in July 2026.
|
|
The entrance to Lotus Palm in Boca Raton. The
community's homeowners association is named as a defendant in a
civil complaint filed Sept. 14, 2026 in Palm Beach County Circuit
Court.
|
The renewed racquet agreement set aside $50,000 a year for
the contractor to hire, supervise and provide a full-time pickleball
professional, along with $10,000 a year for balls and equipment, according to
the complaint. The lawsuit says Ljungstrom then signed a separate contract with
a pickleball professional that allowed him to keep 10 percent of the association
funds for overhead such as accounting, insurance, point-of-sale costs and
administrative staff.
The complaint alleges that on Aug. 11, 2026, the association hand-delivered a
termination letter and directed Ljungstrom to leave the property immediately.
The filing claims he was made to clear his equipment and belongings out of the
pro shop while a security officer and others stood watch and residents looked
on.
The same day, the lawsuit alleges, the association sent an email blast to the
entire community stating that his contract had been terminated to protect
association funds, that the full $50,000 was meant to compensate the pickleball
professional, and that his agreement with that professional paid thousands of
dollars less than the association had allocated. The complaint alleges that
message amounted to an accusation of theft.
The lawsuit claims the accusation was false. The complaint states the racquet
agreement never required the entire $50,000 to be paid to the instructor, and
alleges the email went out before any of the $50,000 had changed hands.
The complaint brings five counts. Counts I and II allege defamation per se and
defamation, with the defamation per se claim resting on the allegation that the
email charged Ljungstrom with a crime. Count III alleges tortious interference
with a contract against the association and the board members, claiming they
hired the pickleball professional directly despite a non-compete and
non-solicitation clause that the complaint says survived termination by 12
months. Count IV alleges civil theft under Florida Statute 772.11 against the
association and GRS Management, claiming at least $6,005 in unauthorized debits
from Ljungstrom's business bank account. Count V alleges breach of contract
against the association, claiming at least $129,191 in unpaid compensation, pro
shop revenues, private lesson revenues and inventory costs.
The complaint states the amount in controversy exceeds $50,000. The plaintiffs
are seeking compensatory, consequential and punitive damages, treble damages and
attorney fees under the civil theft statute, a court order requiring a public
retraction and apology, an injunction barring further disparagement, interest
and costs. The filing demands a jury trial.
The docket shows summonses were issued Sept. 14, 2026 for the association,
Shvarts, Murrin and Spitzer, and Sept. 15, 2026 for GRS Management Associates.
The filing and docket reviewed by Boca Post do not include a response from any
defendant. Allegations in a complaint are claims made by one side and have not
been proven in court, and no court has made findings on the claims.
Boca Post reviewed the complaint, Swede Dreams, L.L.C. and William Ljungstrom v.
Lotus Palm Homeowners Association, Inc., et al., Case No. 502026CA010374XXXAMB,
filed Sept. 14, 2026 in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and
for Palm Beach County.
The case remains newly filed and pending, with a jury trial demanded and no
hearing date listed in the reviewed records. |
