Real estate agents file suit over controversial Gainesville SWAT raid

Two commercial real estate agents have sued a prominent city agent who claims he used his contacts to raid the Gainesville Police Department’s SWAT team in a fake trade secret violation case.

The June 2nd SWAT raid was already causing controversy as members of the Police Advisory Board highlighted the need for the raid in 107 SW 7th St.

Horrible Moments:“I literally thought I was going to die,” said the real estate agent of the Gainesville police raid

Why did it happen:Gainesville residents question police about the need for a SWAT raid on the property office

On June 25, real estate agents Mike Ryals and Dan Drotos of Colliers International filed a complaint in Circuit Court against Aaron Bosshardt, owner of Bosshardt Realty Services, “as a result of the raid.

They are asking for more than $ 30,000.

“(Bosshardt’s) behavior was outrageous, overstepping all boundaries of decency and being viewed as abhorrent and utterly unbearable in a civilized society,” said the lawsuit filed with the district court on June 25th.

Ryals and Drotos had previously worked as independent contractors under Bosshardt in a highly productive commercial sales department called “The Drotos Ryals Group” before moving to Colliers International in April 2019.

Several other sales representatives went with them.

The lawsuit alleges Bosshardt tried to convince police of the bogus claim that Ryals and Drotos were in breach of trade secret laws as leverage in an ongoing civil dispute over property commissions.

The lawsuit said Bosshardt warned the men at the time they were leaving Bosshardt Realty Services that if they were suing for commissions, “he had other means of punishing them”.

The lawsuit alleges that Bosshardt then “used his personal contacts and influence to initiate criminal investigations”.

Ryals and Drotos were embroiled in an ongoing civil dispute with Bosshardt over commissions allegedly still owed to them on the sale of properties that were listed when they worked at Bosshardt but were subsequently closed.

On Friday, Bosshardt received his comment on the lawsuit to attorney Paul A. Donnelly.

In a statement emailed, Donnelly said Bosshardt Realty Services “has prevailed in the district court and on appeal, the appeals court has awarded attorneys’ fees, and is confident it will recoup the current unsubstantiated, frivolous lawsuit.”

“For nearly 35 years, Bosshardt Realty Services, a family-run, locally owned independent brokerage company, has been committed to upholding the banner of professionalism and integrity in the industry,” Donnelly said in the statement. “Aaron Bosshardt proudly supports the Gainesville community and has always valued the local law enforcement and judiciary. Neither Aaron Bosshardt nor Bosshardt Realty Services would ask or expect anyone in our community to do anything other than the same commitment to integrity. Honesty and fair play that the Expect Bosshardt team members from themselves on a daily basis. “

Gainesville police spokesman Graham Glover said the department had no comment on the lawsuit.

“But I can say what we said from the start, which is, ‘GPD doesn’t carry out arbitrary search warrants,'” Glover said. “We carry out search warrants if they have been approved and signed by the public prosecutor and a judge.”

Another civil lawsuit they filed against Bosshardt in August 2019 says the men were entitled to 80% of the commissions paid on these properties, according to the agreements.

W. Charles Hughes, a business disputes attorney representing the men in this lawsuit, most recently brought against Bosshardt, said collectively that the men are owed approximately $ 800,000.

The civil process over commissions is pending and has been pending arbitration, Hughes said on Friday.

Hughes said the case was in mediation, which resulted in a dead end and the two sides argued over attorney fees.

Ryals and Drotos were listed under the names in the warrant that confiscated electronic equipment, including computers and cell phones.

The raid made Colliers’ office unusable, the lawsuit said. Colliers real estate agent Jason Hurst was in the Colliers office when officers from the SWAT team arrived.

Although he never worked for Bosshardt and was not named in the search warrant, an officer aimed an assault rifle at him and he was held with his hands tied for more than three hours, Hurst said. The officers took away his computer, cell phone, and other personal items.

Hurst said he saw 10 to 15 police officers in full tactical gear, a paddy wagon, and officers with shields and assault weapons. He said he feared for his life when he opened the door and an officer walked into the building with an assault rifle aimed at him.