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Event hall accused of scamming families
The Louvre Banquet Hall in Los Feliz is facing criticism from multiple families that say the business told them after they'd paid the venue for events like quinceañeras, the venue told them they'd closed.
LOS ANGELES - The anger is apparent in a cell phone video shot by a woman who doesn't want to be identified. She went to the Louvre Banquet Hall in Los Feliz to demand answers.
"I want my money back, I want the $13,000 I paid," she tells a man she says is the owner.
He denies it, telling her he's a friend of the owner.
"My mother paid you money," she tells him.
She is one of about 18 people who have formed a group chat to try to get their money back from the banquet hall on Vermont Avenue, which closed abruptly and has indicated they won't return any money. The alleged victims say they were billed out of thousands and took their concerns to the LAPD but were told it was a civil matter. That's why they contacted FOX 11.
We were shown and emailed contracts outlining the large sums paid to the venue. We were also shown letters from an attorney for the Monte Cristo Banquet Halls, Inc. stating The Louvre was closing because of structural issues to the building and per the contract their deposits were nonrefundable.
The letter also said all the company's assets would go to satisfy a lien from Small Business Administration.
The SBA confirms the company took out a $150,000 loan during the pandemic, but wouldn't confirm there's a lien, adding that any business struggling to pay back the money can apply for a hardship accommodation.
"We worked so hard for that money, just to have it lost like that," said one mother. Who adds they'd saved for two years to throw her daughter her dream Quinceanera."She's a straight A student," she tells us. "This isn't fair."
We left a message for the owner and spoke to his attorney Sevan Gorginian, who had no comment. He also declined to explain why his clients maintain deposits are nonrefundable when it was they who canceled the events.
"Face us," said one of the alleged victims. "Come forward and face us."
She tells us she had to take out a personal loan to pay out $12,000 to hold a quinceañera at another venue.
"My heart sunk because we had everything paid," she said.