A local man is trying for the third time to have his case accusing a Palos Verdes Estates psychic of defrauding him out of $1,000 and causing him emotional distress heard in court, records show.
An Inglewood judge dismissed Mauro Restrepo’s lawsuit in March, ruling the suit, which claimed the psychic, Sophia Adams, promised to remove a curse placed on him by his ex-girlfriend, lacked enough evidence to move forward.
In his complaint, Restrepo claimed he went to Adams’ business at a home on Paseo Lunado Drive in Palos Verdes Estates in September 2021 after searching for psychics through Google to help him in his marriage.
When he arrived, Restrepo said Adams led him through a tarot card reading, then told him “he had ‘mala suerte,’ or bad luck. This bad luck was…placed on (Restrepo) by a witch hired by his ex-girlfriend,” according to the suit.
In his most recent filing, Restrepo said Adams then offered to sell him a crystal for $5,100 that would remove the back luck. Restrepo gave Adams $1,000 as an initial deposit.
But Restrepo said Adams “did not in any way intend to help (him) with the issues he was experiencing in his marriage.”
Restrepo demanded $25,000 in damages. He filed a new complaint on Tuesday, April 11, according to court records. A new hearing in the case was scheduled for early May.
Restrepo’s latest suit included allegations he was tricked into paying Adams for services based on her claim she was a “Ph.D.” He accused her of telling him “she went to special schooling specific for the ‘Ph.D.’ certification she earned.
“She also told (Restrepo) that he would be cursed if he didn’t use her services,” Restrepo’s claim stated.
Gary Alan Kurtz, an attorney for Adams, said his client was willing to give Restrepo his money back if he didn’t want the crystal.
“All he had to do was to ask for his money back,” Kurtz said. “He’s claiming that she committed fraud to get it. Those claims were dismissed.”
Attorneys for Restrepo did not return a request for comment.
Hits: 0
