Lawsuits pile up against developer

North Palm Beach developer Nick Mastroianni is facing an $800,000 judgment in the latest of a string of legal troubles.

According to the Daily Business Review, a U.S. District Court judge granted the award in October to contractor George Ekins, who had initially filed suit against three limited liability companies connected to Mastroianni’s Harbourside Place, a mixed-use project in Jupiter that will include marinas, a hotel, restaurants, office and retail space.

Ekins originally filed suit claiming the companies did not pay him for raising capital on their behalf through the federal immigrant visa program, which his firm specializes in, the article said. He filed his latest suit after a settlement with the LLCs fell through.

The developers, however, said they halted payments because Ekins broke the law by working as real estate broker without a license and was not eligible for payment.

Late payments and judgments connected to Mastroianni’s projects in New York were also the subject of an October article in Fortune magazine. [Daily Business Review] – Jennifer White Karp