Editor’s note: This case was voluntarily dismissed in March 2020 as a result of a settlement agreement by the two parties that did not include any admission of liability by either side.
Retired real estate agent Vincent Mazzola was forced out of his Aventura condo after a jilted ex-girlfriend allegedly kicked him to the curb upon obtaining 50 percent ownership of his unit, a recently filed lawsuit alleges.
“The defendant preyed on my client, taking advantage of an elderly man and attempting to fleece him of his money,” Mazzola’s attorney Katie Phang told The Real Deal. “This kind of behavior can never be tolerated and we will pursue justice for Mr. Mazzola.”
Mazzola, 84, is suing Nahla Omar Abdelaziz, 48, in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, seeking to have her name removed from the property’s deed, as well as seeking more than $80,000 in damages that includes loans she allegedly never paid back.
Abdelaziz did not return messages on a cellphone listed in her name. Two other phone numbers under her name were disconnected.
According to Mazzola’s complaint, Abdelaziz “abused the relationship and took unconscionable advantage of plaintiff by among other things, preying on his old age and threatening to leave him without a caregiver unless he gave in to her wishes.”
Miami-Dade property records show that Mazzola and his late wife purchased a condo at Harborside at the Waterways in Aventura for $252,500 in 1995. Shortly after his spouse passed away in 2013, Mazzola met Abdelaziz and began what he believed was a sincere romantic relationship, the lawsuit states.
Once they began dating, Abdelaziz isolated Mazzola from friends and family, including his three daughters, the suit alleges. “When Mr. Mazzola would seek his daughters’ advice or approval with respect to certain decisions, the defendant would question Mr. Mazzola’s manhood,” the lawsuit says.
Abdelaziz also allegedly began demanding Mazzola provide her with financial assistance and support. He loaned her $10,000 to purchase a car, $20,000 for her to renew her real estate license and $50,000 for her to buy a condo in Egypt. “To date and despite her promise to do so, Nahla has not paid back the loans,” the lawsuit states.
Mazzola also accuses Abdelaziz of stealing treasured family heirlooms.
Abdelaziz then convinced Mazzola to allow her to live with him in Aventura even though she owned her own condo in Hollywood, the lawsuit states. “As time went on, Nahla began to complain that she felt threatened that Mazzola would leave her at any time and she would have no place to live,” the suit alleges. “She repeatedly whined, begged, and threatened to leave Mazzola if Mazzola did not put her name on the deed to the property.”
Mazzola claims he agreed to give her an ownership interest in his Aventura condo only if at the time of his death they were still in a romantic relationship. However, she was able to gain 50 percent ownership of the unit in 2015 by obtaining a fraudulent quit claim deed adding her name to the property, according to the suit.
“Mazzola was not afforded the opportunity to read the document and did not understand what the document said,” the lawsuit states.
By January of this year, the relationship turned violent when she got physically abusive with Mazzola, the suit alleges. “Despite charges being dropped against her in January 2016, she falsely accused Mazzola of aggravated battery with a knife and other crimes causing Mazzola to be arrested,” the lawsuit states. “Nahla proceeded to spread malicious and false lies regarding Mazzola and this alleged battery within their community.”
A month later, Abdelaziz changed the locks to the condo and has refused to let Mazzola return to his property, according to the suit. He’s been forced to rent a room from a friend.