A boat mechanic who worked for years at the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club claims that his tools and workboat have been seized illegally.
Shehan D. Fernando accused the yacht club and an owner, Gerald Shallo, of conversion of assets, in a complaint filed on Nov. 8 in Westchester Supreme Court. He is demanding $200,000 plus $3,000 a week in lost profits from Oct. 13 until the dispute is resolved.
After five years of service, the club fired Fernando for no apparent reason, according to a letter his lawyer sent to Shallo, “depriving him of his practice, trade and livelihood by the confiscation of tools and equipment.”
The yacht club on Long Island Sound traces its history to 1885, when Gilded Age finance baron Charles Osborn built a grand home on Long Island Sound. Now Osborn Castle serves as a clubhouse and the property features a 57-slip marina, tennis courts, swimming pool, beach and gardens.
The yacht club contracted with Fernando’s SAS Maritime Services Inc. to provide boat repairs, maintenance services, and dock work for the club and its clients, according to the complaint.
On Oct. 8, Fernando claims, a club employee told him that his services were no longer wanted and he had to leave. When he returned the next day to retrieve his tools, he was told that his equipment was locked in a shed and would not be returned to him.
On Oct. 13, the complaint states, Fernando went to the club to get the 21-foot Nor’easter Rib workboat that he had used to help club members “when they broke down or were stuck on the rocks.”
The workboat was locked to the dock and Fernando was not allowed to remove it.
The tools are worth $150,000, according to the complaint, and the workboat is worth $50,000.
Attorney Robert Corke wrote a letter to Shallo on Oct. 15 stating that he was authorized to take whatever actions necessary to secure the return of Fernando’s property.
On Oct. 17, Shallo called Fernando and threatened to kill him and destroy his family, according to the lawsuit and a harassment complaint Fernando made to the Mamaroneck police department, “if you f-ck with the Shallos.”
“If I see you in the club I will f-ck you up,” Shallo allegedly said, “and don’t forget that I know where you son goes to college. You will not get any of your stuff from the club so go f-ck yourself and your family, a–hole.”
Fernando accused Shallo and the yacht club of conversion of assets and theft of property. He also accused Shallo of causing severe emotional distress and mental anguish.
Shallo did not reply to an email asking for his responses to the allegations.
