Marine leasing operation sues man for repossession of vessel

A Florida business is suing a New Orleans man for alleged breach of contract in a 2010 matter.

AMIkids Inc. f/k/a Associated Marine Institutes Inc. of Tampa (AMI) filed a complaint against Evangelist W. King in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana on April 27, citing default in a September 2012 business matter.

According to the suit, King chartered a boat from the defendant on Oct. 19, 2007, for a period of three years. The agreement set a price and terms for payment based on monthly installments to begin Nov. 19, 2007, and end on Oct. 19, 2010, the complaint states.

The plaintiff claims that the defendant failed to surrender the vessel to AMI by the lease’s end date and alleges that King failed to make any monthly payments due April 19, 2009, and thereafter. Consequently, AMI states, it exercised its rights to apply the security deposit to the missing payments to cover the period of missing monthly payments; hired a law firm to enforce the proceedings; and informed King via certified mail on March 13, 2015.

The suit states that the letter was not received by the defendant, nor was it returned to the sender. Court documents contain USPS tracking data. The plaintiff issued the letter for a second time on April 1, 2015. Again, it was not picked up by King; has not been returned; and remains in transit, according to the filing.

AMI seeks injunctive relief to regain possession of the leased vessel, together with actual and liquidated damages in excess of $75,000; interest, fines, attorney’s fees, expenses and costs.

The plaintiff is represented by Richard Aguilar and Heather LaSalle Alexis of McGlinchey Stafford in New Orleans.

U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana Case 2:15-cv-01365-MLCF-DEK