NY couple has $70K worth of stuff ruined by moving company: suit

Dennis and Ashleigh Ellis say a storage firm deliberately left $70,000 price of their possessions to rot.

An element-time New York couple say $70,000 price of their belongings had been “deliberately left to rot” by knowledgeable storage firm — who didn’t inform them of the moldy, smelly injury till transferring day, based on a brand new lawsuit.

Dennis and Ashleigh Ellis had been floored to study that their issues, together with furnishings, clothes and even their wedding ceremony album, had been “presumably” allowed to sit down in standing water for months by Flat Charge Movers and Storage, based on Ashleigh and the couple’s Manhattan Supreme Courtroom lawsuit from Wednesday.

The pair, who primarily reside in Los Angeles, stated they had been greeted with “the stench of rot” when the corporate dropped off their packing containers at their new West Finish house on Dec. 19, the submitting says.

“When the issues arrived, they arrived fully moldy and broken – simply unrecognizable,” Ashleigh – a former aggressive determine skater – advised The Publish. “We had an attractive residence that we beloved. I bear in mind seeing it for the primary time and I simply broke out into tears.”

Dennis Ellis and Ashleigh Ellis say that sentimental objects like their wedding ceremony album had been destroyed.

She added, “I do know it’s simply materials issues however there have been loads of sentimental issues too from our wedding ceremony, our wedding ceremony items, items of artwork that had been commissioned – simply priceless objects that we are going to by no means get again.”

Ashleigh, who married her lawyer hubby in 2019, stated another sentimental objects like their wedding ceremony album, household images and a household tree e book they obtained as a marriage reward had been additionally ruined.

After refusing to just accept the ruined belongings, the corporate, in addition to the Ellises’ residence insurance coverage firm State Farm, stated they wouldn’t cowl the injury.

The couple says they had been greeted with the stench of rot when the corporate dropped off their objects.

The couple’s swimsuit, which additionally names State Farm as a defendant, accuses Flat Charge of getting the “audacity to point out up at supply with a truckload of moldy, broken and destroyed property that had clearly been deliberately left to rot for months, but acted as if nothing was unsuitable.”

Ashleigh slammed Flat Charge for not standing behind their phrase.

“You count on to rent knowledgeable firm and after they present up – the stuff is inexperienced and moldy and they don't seem to be making an attempt to compensate us in any respect,” Ashleigh stated.

Dennis – a accomplice on the agency dealing with his swimsuit, Ellis George Cipollone – and Ashleigh determined to maneuver Massive Apple residences since that they had a 1-year-old son and wanted extra space to accommodate the larger household.

The couple is suing Flat Charge Movers for the injury.

“Now we've an empty home and we've no furnishings,” Ashleigh stated. “We don’t have a mattress. I've an 18-month-old son however no crib.”

“This was Christmastime,” she stated. “Every part is on again order. We at the moment are simply beginning to get furnishings. It was a nightmare.”

The corporate claimed that the entire Ellises’ issues that it had been storing for eight months from their former Lincoln Heart-area house had been solely price $5,000 when it was truly price $70,000, the submitting claims.

Flat Charge additionally gave “each excuse underneath the solar” to get out of paying for the injury, telling the couple it wasn’t their fault and that “nobody can management mom nature” whereas not admitting or explaining how the injury occurred, the submitting alleges.

The couple says that Flat Charge Movers denied that the injury was their fault, however was unable to elucidate the way it occurred.

The Ellises paid Flat Charge $2,500 for the supply of their belongings, along with $500 per 30 days for storage since April 19, 2021. And the couple has been a devoted buyer of State Farm since 2007, having paid the insurer roughly $500,000 in premiums, the swimsuit claims.

“Flat Charge’s intentional destruction of the Ellis property by leaving it, presumably, uncovered to or in standing water and moisture for months assuring that nothing may very well be salvaged constituted an intentional and unauthorized destruction and defacement of the Ellis Property akin to vandalism,” the swimsuit expenses.

Dennis Ellis is an legal professional and Ashleigh Ellis is a former determine skater.

Flat Charge lawyer David Giampietro advised The Publish that the corporate doesn’t touch upon pending litigation however stated, “we'll say that this matter is stemming from the historic storm, Hurricane Ida.”

Ellis lawyer Jeffrey Mitchell advised The Publish that even when the late August storm was in charge for the injury, the corporate didn’t name the Ellises to inform them what had occurred on the time, nor did it make any makes an attempt to dry out and salvage their property.

“They didn’t pull any of it out, they didn’t name a remediation firm to dry it out,” Mitchell stated. “They took no effort to salvage something that may very well be salvaged.”

An legal professional for Flat Charge Movers stated the injury occurred resulting from Hurricane Ida.

“They only left it there in its situation to rot after which they delivered it to the client and washed their arms of their duty,” the lawyer claimed.

State Farm didn’t instantly return a request for remark.