The Paint Spot: Small Business Forced to Litigate for $32,535 Owed by Trump National Doral Miami
Tier 1Resolved2014-09-01 to 2017-04-13
Factual Summary
In 2014, The Paint Spot, a small Miami-based paint supply company owned by Juan Carlos Enriquez, supplied paint and related materials for a renovation of Trump National Doral Miami, a golf resort owned by Trump Endeavor 12 LLC. The materials were part of a larger renovation contract involving the repainting of five of the resort's ten lodges, with a total project value of approximately $200,000.
In September 2014, the general contractor on the project, M&P Reynolds, walked off the job over its own nonpayment dispute with Trump Endeavor. After the general contractor's departure, The Paint Spot was never paid a final balance of $32,535.87 for materials already delivered.
In October 2014, Enriquez filed a construction lien against the Doral property. Eight months later, he filed a lawsuit seeking to foreclose on the 800-acre resort. Trump Endeavor placed $34,000 in escrow to prevent a foreclosure sale but continued to contest the lien's validity, arguing that The Paint Spot had identified the wrong general contractor in its lien filing and had failed to comply with Florida statutory requirements.
A trial court ruled in The Paint Spot's favor, finding that Trump Endeavor had "actual knowledge" of the lien notice and that the company had "substantially complied with statutory requirements." On April 13, 2017, the Third District Court of Appeal of Florida affirmed the lower court's ruling, rejecting Trump Endeavor's petition to invalidate the lien. The court upheld the $34,863 construction lien and awarded The Paint Spot approximately $283,950 in attorney's fees, with the judge applying a multiplier to compensate the attorney for the financial risk of taking the case. The total judgment exceeded $300,000.
Primary Sources
1. Third District Court of Appeal decision, Trump Endeavor 12 LLC v. Fernich, Inc., No. 3D16-1558 (Fla. 3d DCA, April 13, 2017): https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-district-court-of-appeal/1856565.html
2. NBC News: "Paint Shop Owner Juan Carlos Enriquez Took On Trump and Won," February 2017: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/paint-shop-owner-juan-carlos-enriquez-took-trump-won-n747756
3. Courthouse News Service: "Trump Resort Loses Appeal Over Paint Company Bill," April 2017: https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-resort-loses-appeal-paint-company-bill/
Corroborating Sources
1. The Real Deal: "Appeals court rules Trump National Doral Miami must pay $35K to painting subcontractor," April 2017
2. Miami New Times: "Court Upholds $300,000 Fine After Trump Refuses to Pay Miami Paint Store," July 2016
3. Bloomberg: "Trump Miami Resort Loses Suit Over Paint It Didn't Pay For," April 2017
Counterarguments and Context
Trump Endeavor argued that The Paint Spot's construction lien was procedurally defective because it named the wrong general contractor and because the company failed to comply with Florida's notice-to-owner requirements. Both arguments were rejected by the trial court and the appeals court. The resort did not dispute that the paint materials had been delivered or that the balance was unpaid. The case illustrates the financial asymmetry in contractor disputes: Enriquez risked significant legal costs to recover $32,535, and the attorney's fee multiplier reflected the court's recognition of that risk.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 1 because the dispute was fully litigated through the Florida court system and resolved by appellate decision. The original user request identified this case under the name "Andrew Tesoro" and described it as a painting contractor dispute at Doral. The research confirmed the Doral painting dispute involved Juan Carlos Enriquez and The Paint Spot. Andrew Tesoro's case, involving architectural fees at Trump National Golf Club Westchester, is documented separately in LABOR-022.