Libel, slander added to lawsuit

The owners and operators of the Young At Art Museum in Davie have added libel and slander allegations against Broward County to their ongoing legal dispute with the county.

The children’s museum went to court last year, challenging the county’s demand to collect $240,888 it said it was owed and the county’s efforts to take over the museum and its preschool.

On May 4, the Young At Arts Museum added libel and slander charges to its suit.

Museum CEO Mindy Schrago and her son, museum curator Zachary Spechler, filed a separate libel and slander suit against the county and consultants Artsmarket Inc., Louise K. Stevens and John Stevens.

The suits claim the museum lost donors, resources and business opportunities because of false and uncorrected statements made by former Commissioner Sue Gunzburger that the museum had spent $20 million on exhibits, when the county knew it had spent $5 million.

The suit says Louise Stevens gave false testimony to the commission when she said Charity Navigator, a charity-rating service, rated the museum a zero. The suit says the museum received a 4, the best rating possible.

The suit said Assistant County Administrator Gretchen Cassini was also at fault for “failing and refusing to convey the truth to the county and the media, intentionally misleading the public and [Young At Art’s] donors that [the museum] was in dire financial straits.”

The county was responsible for buying the land and putting up the money for the museum’s construction. When the museum couldn’t meet the agreement to pay back $11.2 million plus interest over 11 years, a new deal was cut to extend the debt over 37 years, reducing the annual payment to $350,000 and half of of the pledges made by museum donors.

Young At Art is challenging the county’s right to those pledges.