A Retired Judge's Holocaust Heirlooms Were Held Hostage. He Filed a $5 Million Class Action.

If a retired judge cannot navigate the moving industry without being defrauded, consumers have no chance under the current system.

Jeffrey Spinner, a retired justice of the New York State Supreme Court, hired what he believed was a carrier for an interstate move from North Carolina to Suffolk County, New York. He specifically asked whether the company was a broker or a carrier. He was told, repeatedly, that it was a carrier. It was not. The company was a broker operating through interchangeable shell companies, all controlled by one person from Florida. His family's belongings, including irreplaceable Holocaust heirlooms, were loaded onto a truck and held hostage for cash.

The class action complaint (Spinner, Pompliano & Schwartz v. New Era Relocation LLC et al., E.D.N.Y. Case 2:20-CV-6288, filed April 13, 2021) names three companies and seven individuals.

The companies: New Era Relocation LLC (DOT 3371822, North Carolina LLC, authority revoked December 22, 2020), Moving Solutions LLC (the legal entity behind Gold Standard Relocation), and Relocate US LLC (DOT 2950850). All three shared the address 933 Beville Road, South Daytona, Volusia County, Florida.

The mastermind: Margaret Bovard Drayton (aka Maggie Drayton), a Florida resident who 'dominates, manages and controls and is a principal, owner, member and/or manager' of all three companies. The complaint describes New Era, Gold Standard, and Relocate as 'alter egos' of each other, sharing 'common officers, managers, members, principals and employees' and 'common business addresses and telephone numbers, making them so closely related and inextricably intertwined as to be completely indistinguishable from one another.'

Also named: Medetbek Karimov (aka Mede Karimov, Irvine CA, email KGVanlines@gmail.com), Thomas Galczynski, Jennifer Blake, and two individuals identified as 'Doe' defendants.

On July 17, 2020, Gold Standard Relocation, acting through an employee named Ryan, contacted Spinner via internet and phone to provide a quote. Spinner specifically asked if Gold Standard was a broker. Ryan 'affirmatively and repeatedly' stated that Gold Standard was not a broker but a 'licensed interstate mover' whose services were provided through New Era, which he 'repeatedly represented was Gold Standard's wholly owned subsidiary.'

Nowhere in the contracts does it state that Gold Standard is a broker.

The binding estimate was $14,423.34. Spinner paid a deposit of $9,417. His belongings included antiques and irreplaceable family heirlooms from the Holocaust: a grandfather clock, a physician's scale, a secretary desk, and an antique dining room set.

On July 30 through August 2, 2020, defendant Galczynski loaded Spinner's goods into a Freightliner tractor with a 53-foot trailer (West Virginia plate 928-977, California plate 4MS1277). The trailer's total interior volume was 3,270 cubic feet.

After loading, the scheme became clear. The goods were held hostage. Spinner was told to pay thousands of dollars in cash, amounts never contracted for and in violation of the Carmack Amendment.

In December 2020, DOT revoked New Era's operating authority (DOT 3371822). Rather than release Spinner's belongings, the defendants left 'hostile messages threatening to auction Plaintiff's property unless he pays the cash.'

The court issued a Temporary Restraining Order on December 30, 2020, directing email service of the complaint on all defendants. Gold Standard's attorney, Barry Gutterman, confirmed receiving all documents but then refused to accept service, claiming Gold Standard 'is not involved.' Spinner's attorney responded that this was 'disingenuous at best,' pointing out that 'corporate filings prove Gold Star and New Era are same operation using fictitious names and manipulating State Corporate e-filings to fictionalize companies to confuse consumers.'

Spinner, together with Bill Pompliano (North Carolina) and Samantha Schwartz (Michigan), filed a class action on behalf of all persons who hired the defendants for interstate moves from 2018 to present. The complaint estimates more than 100 putative class members. Under the Class Action Fairness Act, the aggregate claims exceed $5,000,000.

The causes of action include Carmack Amendment violations (strict liability for goods in transit), conversion, theft, extortion, and concealment of consumer property.

The case terminated December 28, 2022, with Gold Standard, Moving Solutions, and Margaret Drayton all terminated from the case on August 31, 2022, likely indicating a settlement or default. Progressive Southeastern Insurance Company, the insurer, was terminated early on February 22, 2021.

The defendants did not simply defend the case. New Era Relocation and Medetbek Karimov filed counterclaims against the plaintiffs. A company with a revoked license, which was holding a retired judge's Holocaust heirlooms hostage for cash ransom, countersued the victims.

The court filing also documented that Gold Standard used a forged Bill of Lading, a fake Google Maps address for New Era's North Carolina location, and a website with false information. 26 pages of BBB complaints against New Era were submitted as Exhibit K.

This case demonstrates that the moving fraud problem is not limited to unsophisticated consumers who failed to do their research. A retired judge who asked the right questions, who specifically inquired whether his mover was a broker, was lied to, defrauded, and had his family's irreplaceable possessions held for ransom. The system failed him the same way it fails everyone else.

Defendant Medetbek Karimov (DOT records list him on Pacific Prime Logistics LLC, DOT 4434321, Santa Ana CA) is one of at least five Karimov family members with FMCSA-registered companies across the United States. Others include Islam Karimov (American Movers Group, DOT 3018790, Carmichael CA), Kabuljon Karimov (Aziz Express, DOT 3542505, Reisterstown MD), Umidjon Karimov (Diamond Hands Moving, DOT 3627176, Brooklyn NY), and Sukhrab Karimov (Moving Company, DOT 1664301, West Hollywood CA).

Whether these family members are connected to the Drayton network or operate independently requires further investigation. The complaint names Karimov as a principal, officer, agent, servant, or employee of the defendants.