Several business owners are claiming to be victims of a debilitating shark attack — and not the kind that happens in the ocean!
According to reports, Shark Tank stars Kevin O’Leary and Kevin Harrington have been sued for fraud by 20 plaintiffs from across the country.
In a complaint filed Wednesday, the entrepreneurs claim they “ were lured by the involvement, endorsement, and credibility” of the ABC stars to hire the particular services of one of two companies purported to be in the crowdfunding business — InventureX or Ideazon — to help launch their product or business.
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The complaint claims these companies “ turned out to be nothing less than facades designed to lure in unsuspecting sufferers, extract their money and then virtually disappear under the guise of delays, minimal to no performance, and no results. ”
Per the complaint, the plaintiffs spent “ months, if not years” trying to get their products/businesses launched but saw no results. To this day, they’ve yet to get their own money back; and while typically the companies appear to be two separate entities to the public, the problem alleges they “ are actually intertwined and connected internally, constituting practical mirror images of each other, ” forming what the docs described as a “ structured fraud scam. ”
The plaintiffs allege that O’Leary endorsed both of these companies despite a “ lack associated with due diligence, basic investigation, or even minimal inquiry to determine how real or legitimate” they were. Harrington, for his part, is allegedly a “ partner and primary executive” of InventureX plus “ knowingly made personalized videos” that were sent to this plaintiffs “ in order in order to lure [them] to be able to sign up and and/or continue paying fees, ” the issue states.
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The grievance claims the two companies allegedly “ took hundreds of thousands of dollars” from the plaintiffs “ while delivering little for you to nothing on the services these people represented would be provided. ” While Harrington has yet to help comment on the suit, Mr. Wonderful issued a statement via his lawyer claiming he’s “never heard of” InventureX or Ideazon. The statement read:
“ It appears that someone has been using my name and likeness without my knowledge, permission, or consent. I’ ve never heard of any regarding these purported companies and have never conducted business with any of the injured parties who filed this suit. Obviously, I want to get towards the bottom of it too, as my rights have been violated. We will make sure that often the bad actors are held accountable. ”
The particular plaintiffs are suing for fraud, negligence, breach of written contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They are seeking pay for damages, economic loss, emotional distress, and legal fees.
Thoughts?
[Image via KGUN9 /Judy Eddy/ WENN ]
The post < i> Shark Tank< /i> Scammers? Kevin O' Leary & Kevin Harrington Sued For Fraud In Alleged ' Structured Scam'! appeared first on Perez Hilton .