DJ Envy is looking to have his real estate fraud lawsuit tossed out, and has claimed that he, too, is a victim of doing business with Cesar and Jennifer Pina.
The Breakfast Club co-host, along with the Pinas, was sued late last month by Anthony Barone and Anthony Martini, who claimed they defrauded them out of $1.5 million over an apartment complex project that never materialized.
The plaintiffs said that they invested in two real estate ventures, the Taylor Company and Flip 2 Dao, but Envy and the Pinas took the money without following through with the project.
Envy was also accused of purchasing a series of properties in Paterson, New Jersey, undervaluing them, and then fixing-and-flipping them or renting them out.
Barone and Martini claimed that the trio used the funds to support their extravagant lifestyles and/or to pay off other investors.
On Wednesday (August 2), DJ Envy (real name RaaShaun Casey) responded by filing a motion asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice.
According to court documents obtained by The Shade Room, Envy says he is not (and never was) an employee or representative of neither the Taylor Company nor Flip 2 Dao.
He adds that he believes the plaintiffs named him in the lawsuit solely to exploit his celebrity status and to sensationalize the case.
Cesar Pina previously corroborated Envy’s story, confirming that the veteran DJ is not, and never was, employed by Flip 2 Dao. He stated that Anthony Barone, his wife, and himself are the only members of the company.
DJ Envy also claims that he is a victim himself and lost $500,000 on a separate project with the Pinas to renovate and reposition a former school into an apartment building.
The couple allegedly promised Envy that they would return his initial investment within one year and he would receive a monthly dividend of roughly $17,000. However, Envy has apparently yet to receive any distributions or return of capital in connection with the project.
The collective are due back in court on September 8 to iron out the dispute.
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Despite his plea of innocence, the lawsuit provided more ammo for Envy’s car show rival Rick Ross to use against him. After news of the legal dispute broke, the MMG mogul threw another below-the-belt shot at the radio host on social media.
“Time to tattoo that hairline too,” he wrote underneath a photo of Envy on The Neighborhood Talk’s Instagram post.
Prior to that, the pair had traded insults in the run up to their respective car shows, with Envy mocking Rozay’s correctional officer past and Ross offering Envy’s wife and kids a job to clean his swimming pool.
