BALTIMORE — At the Harborview Marina there are little signs of life after an abrupt shutdown earlier this year.
One that a new lawsuit claims was manufactured to squeeze out a minority business partner as business dealings soured behind the scenes.
"You just knew something was not right," Paul Kouvaris said.
WATCH: Lawsuit claims behind the scene "scheme" led to Harborview Marina closure
Boaters like Kouvaris were given just a 14 day notice to leave, the marina citing major structural issues that made the fixed pier a safety hazard.
For some that meant finding a new slip. Others, a new home.
The suit, filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court, claims the majority owners of the marina, Dr. Selvin Passen and business partner Dan Naor knew about urgent repairs that were needed two years prior based on an engineering assessment.
However, the suit claims they intentionally let it fall into disrepair to use as a bargaining chip against minority owner Richard Swirnow of SC Marina Venure LLC.
Caught in the middle of these reported soured dealings were hundreds of boaters and Dipasquale's, which had recently set up shop at the marina.
"Just feel like a pawn here and I feel like we got the short end of the stick," Phil Tansill, of Phil's Boat Repair, said. "I just think it's sad that their dealings affected the community."
READ MORE: Some boats remain after Harborview Marina officially closes
Court documents also accuse Passen and Naor of devising "a scheme" to devalue the marina by purchasing the mortgage through a new company, Harborview Mortgage LLC, for the sole purpose of "intentionally" failing to make payments though the suit claims they stated their reason to aquire the mortgages in the first place was "to avoid default."
On March 3, 2025 the mortgage was officially in default and according to the associated notice, outstanding principal, interest, and fees totaled $2.9 million.
On March 10, an engineer, the lawsuit claims possibly at the direction of Passen and Naor, recommended the closure.
Three days later, slip holders were notified of the indefinite closure. Just a days before it finally did, a formal foreclosure notice was filed.
A foreclosure auction is scheduled for May 28 at 2 p.m.
"It's gonna be interesting to see what happens there on out," Kouvaris said.
Statement from Swirnow's attorney Ramsay Whitworth:
"Swirnow is focused on the greater goal of preserving the marina and protecting the boaters, patrons, and all members of the entire Harborview community."
WMAR-2 News has reached out to the defendants for comment but have not heard back.
Attorney Bob Van Galoubandi, the substitute trustee in the foreclosure case declined to comment.
