Thank you for visiting Planet Ballroom. Between 2008 and 2014 we operated highly successful dance businesses. In 2014 we sold our company and licensed the name and business model to franchisees, some of whom abused and mismanaged their stores. This mismanagement lead to legal actions initiated by us and outlined below.
Planet Ballroom News
Matthews Ballroom Lawsuit (aka Matthews Ballroom + Events)
PBI initiated a lawsuit against franchisee Matthews Ballroom owned by Jerilyn McDonald, Bradley Claxton and Todd Liddell. We were victorious in this legal battle and in April 2019 were awarded financial damages and injunctive relief for improper us of our IP.
Janine DiPierro
Partner with Matthews Ballroom and owner of another unit, Janine DiPierro violated her contract, then filed bankruptcy to avoid judgment.
Richard Burke Schnedl
Another partner of Matthews Ballroom, Richard Burke Schnedl was party to the lawsuit due to his owner status. We were awarded a judgment against Schnedl yet he refuses to pay on a court ordered judgment. Meanwhile, his wife attacks us on social media.
Kristin Grasso Heck & Brandon Heck
Former franchisee Kristin Grasso Heck sold her franchise in 2016 for what we believe to be an amount around $90,000. A few months after the lawsuit against Matthews Ballroom was filed, Kristin Grasso Heck and her husband Brandon Heck began attacking our company, our affiliates and our officers online making numerous false accusations that we believe are highly defamatory and illegal. A joint lawsuit was filed against the Heck’s in 2019 and is currently pending in NC court.
