POA vs. Deerfield Lawsuit Overview:
In mid-2019, a group of plaintiffs or disgruntled residents (Dan Valle et al) filed a class action (derivative suit) lawsuit. A full list of plaintiffs and defendants, as of June 15, 2022, are included in the court document below.
The defendants being sued are:
Scott Fields, named individually
Paula (Fields) Lejeune, (Scott’s sister) named individually
Marc LeJeune (married to Paula Lejeune), named individually
Paula (Fields) Lejeune and Scott Fields as co-executors for the estate of Madeline Fields. (Madeline is Scott and Paula’s deceased mother).
Fields Development Company
Fields Real Estate, Inc. and finally
Deerfield Resort
The legal dispute was started by a very minority group - 10 residents or less- that needed to rally 50 residents or 5% of the voting class in Deerfield to have “standing”. What does that mean? Without the 50 people or 5% the court would not approve this suit to be a “derivative or class action lawsuit” to sue the defendants named above- “Fields et al”.
What is this lawsuit-dispute about?
Originally the communicated intent of the lawsuit was to create an HOA in Deerfield. The Deerfield community has been developer controlled since inception (as filed with the state of TN). There is still much land that is undeveloped. In the court proceedings, the court did approve the need for a legal and functional HOA to be formed. This was approved in court under the premise of 90+ plaintiff names on the suit. Legal filings (all public record) below show 45+ plaintiffs asking to be removed as plaintiffs following sharing of this information on the Deerfield Facebook page. People who did not even know they were a named plaintiff. It also was a result of the original intent of the lawsuit changing. Upon further review, you can tell from the defendant named parties above, the goal is to lock up/freeze and obtain information from any individual or entity that was a founding party in Deerfield, married to a founding family member or a Fields family member who has a legitimate business in Deerfield. The plaintiffs say money has been stolen and/or misappropriated. Yet, they have been given 5 years of Deerfield bank statements. And we are still here today. The allegations in the lawsuit are ugly, defamatory to the core nature of the people involved. We will not further surmise what they are suing for, the court documents speak for themselves and are including for your reading. We feel it is important for residents to understand why this is happening. Because as a resident of Deerfield you are being sued.
What is in Dispute?
The collection and management of fees by the Deerfield management are in dispute. These fees are called the Deerfield Annual Security and Maintenance fees. These fees are billed to every resident of the Deerfield community annually. The fees range in annual amounts for residents from $100 to $500 annually, dependent on the home, lot, hangar type and/or # of lots/homes owned. These fees have been billed using the same methodology for 10+ years. And the annual fees have NOT increased in this time period with cost of living/inflation factors or based on the growth in the Deerfield Resort. An unaudited YE 2021 income statement is included below for review to see what expenses are covered from these fees. This information is for residents only and was distributed in March 2021. To view the document below residents can request a password by emailing TeamDeerfield2022@gmail.com. Also, a document describing how the security and maintenance fees are billed is included below for reference.
June 2021 #TeamDeerfield Petition:
Preceding the court hearing in June 2021, a group of residents created a petition to support the Fields and our community. Over 690+ people signed the petition, and it was filed into court to show the judge the support from the community. The petition link is included below and can still be signed here for any Deerfield residents.
TeamDeerfield Petition: CLICK Here
The 3+ Year Battle Continues : HOA 1stElection and Lawsuit Continues:
The court appointed receiver, Scott Reams, is finalizing the election process for the new Deerfield Resort HOA board. Bylaws have been drafted and the court-appointed receiver will soon call a meeting of all Deerfield residents. From that date, notice of 60 days must be given before an election occurs. More information on how this election will be administered and how to get involved will be communicated by Scott Reams. It is particularly important to note the lawsuit is NOT holding up this election. The lawsuit continues once the HOA is in place and the new board will have determine how to manage the lawsuit naming Deerfield as a defendant.
Legal Fees:
At current date, The Fields Family has spent over $160,000 in legal fees. If so, inclined there is a go fund me created for the sole purpose to raise funds for the defendant’s legal fees. The funds raised from this funding will be used 100% on the attorney and legal fees retained by the Fields Family. If you cannot support with a donation, then please share a simple message of appreciation in person, on social media or however best for you as to what the Deerfield community means to you and your family.
GOFUNDME LINK: CLICK HERE
Questions? Need Access to A File Below?
If you have any questions on this lawsuit, want additional information for clarification upon reviewing or just want to say “Hi”, drop us a note at TeamDeerfield2022@Gmail.com. This email is also used for residents to obtain passwords for protected documents below. When emailing a request for password include your last name and resident address – intended for resident owners only.
Deerfield is a special place, and the new HOA will allow our community to grow. And while we do not support the lawsuit initiated by the plaintiffs in any way, we DO support an organized management of our Deerfield community. We appreciate you being a resident and investing in our wonderful lake community.
Legal Disclaimer:
Scott Fields and Paula LeJeune are named Defendant parties in this lawsuit, the information posted above and any response to questions will not be communicated from either Scott or Paula, but from the Deerfield Team. We appreciate your understanding of this sensitive situation.
**DHV Residents can request password by emailing TeamDeerfield2022@gmail.com**
**Deerfield Residents can request password by emailing TeamDeerfield2022@gmail.com**
Various Correspondence