Howard and Melissa Fellman say it’s bad enough that they lost their lawsuit to prevent an investor from terminating their Boca Raton condominium and forcing them to sell their unit for a below-market price.
Then the Fellmans watched a court in Miami side with condo owners there who waged a similar fight. Yet the couple say they can’t use the ruling to compel their district court to reconsider its decision.
And now the investor who terminated the condominium has sent a letter to the Fellmans’ longtime tenant telling her to stop paying rent to the couple. “We, as the new owner, would like to offer you a NEW LEASE so you may continue to occupy the Leased Premises without any interruption,” the letter says.
Court records and correspondence provided by the Fellmans present a story of a long legal battle to prevent The Scully Company, a Pennsylvania-based operator of rental communities, from taking over a condo unit the couple purchased for $65,000 in 1992 — back when the condominium’s declaration stated it would take 100% of unit owners to approve any termination.