In the Court of Appeal of the State of California, plaintiff Joseph Gazal filed a lawsuit against defendants Carlos Echeverry and others on March 29, 2024. The case, identified as B327668 in the Second Appellate District, Division Eight of Los Angeles County Superior Court (Case No. 22TRCV00429), revolves around an alleged deception that led Gazal to donate over $1 million for charitable purposes.
Gazal, inspired by a homily delivered by Echeverry, a deacon at his church, donated funds to purchase a car and home for a destitute family. Lawyers LiMandri & Jonna represented the defendants while Thomas Law Group and Jeff Lewis Law represented Gazal. The plaintiff claimed he was deceived into believing his donation would directly benefit the family; instead, SOFESA Inc., a nonprofit led by Jessica Echeverry (the deacon's wife), allegedly used the funds for its own purposes.
Gazal sought judgment against the defendants for their alleged deceptive actions. He contended that he wouldn't have made such substantial donations if he had known they wouldn't directly benefit the family in need. His donations included $47,143.91 on December 24, 2021; $100,000 each on December 27 and 28; and $800,000 on December 29 – totaling $1,047,143.91.