Soccer coach sues Ponte Vedra-Palm Valley Athletic Association, claiming he was subjected to retaliation
One of the most successful soccer coaches in Florida, George O. ?Trey? Clark of the Ponte Vedra Soccer Club, recently filed a civil lawsuit against the president of the Ponte Vedra-Palm Valley Athletic Association, accusing him of retaliation stemming from a 2009 incident.
Neither Clark nor association President Dr. Johns G. Lazzara were available for comment Friday.
Court documents say that Clark is seeking $30,000 in back salary, protection from Lazzara, attorney fees, court costs and unspecified damages for ?emotional distress, embarrassment, financial deprivation and other pain and suffering.?
Lazzara?s attorneys say Clark was hired under an independent contractor agreement and has no standing to sue.
Also, they said, the nonprofit Ponte Vedra Soccer Club had been ?administratively dissolved? for failure to file its annual report.
However, it is still operating as it always has.
The brief filed by Clark?s attorney, R.H. Farnell II of Bedell, Ditmar, DeVault, Pillans & Coxe, of Jacksonville, says the trouble began at a 2009 soccer game when a volunteer coach with PVSC suddenly ?became enraged? and began cursing field officials in front of teenage girls.
?(That coach) then found Clark and continued yelling and cursing in front of 7- and 8-year-old girls,? the narrative continued. ?Clark told the coach he would never be allowed to coach in PVSC again.?
The fired coach was a friend of Lazzara, who allegedly demanded that soccer official Ron Dawson fire Clark. Dawson refused and, according to Clark, Lazzara began a ?pattern of retaliation? against him.
In September this year, the PVAA board refused to pay Clark, who has coached for 10 years.
His accomplishments, listed in the court record, include winning 95 percent of every state and national tournament PVSC entered; winning 36 Division I scholarships; winning state championships six times; and winning a total of 200 games.
Clark was paid $54,000 a year with a guaranteed 4 percent cost of living increase every year. But he also could keep the profits from soccer camps and tournaments he ran and from concessions during league play, plus collecting incentives for enrollment and for winning tournaments.
Lazzara?s attorney, Gregg Gerlach of Harper Gerlach of Jacksonville, said, ?A corporate director has a privilege to ?interfere? with corporate contracts and relationships....(And) they are not liable for actions they take in connection with corporate business, absent criminal conduct, fraud, self-dealing or corrupt enrichment.?
Lazzara?s alleged multiple retaliations include:
? Saying his father?s foundation would no longer support PVSC.
? Depositing sponsorship checks from a sports store written for the soccer club into PVAA?s account.
? Changing Clark?s paycheck to the 1st and 15th of the month rather than biweekly, costing him two paychecks a year.
? Not giving Clark a cost-of-living raise for 2012.
? Keeping a $2,000 incentive Clark was due for winning the Girls W4 Regional Championship in May.
? Not turning over $20,341 Clark earned holding a soccer camp.
? On Sept. 1 Clark stopped receiving all compensation.
? Scheduling sports activities on PVAA Sports Complex knowing the soccer club had camps or tournaments there.
? Contacted county recreation officials to propose a competing for-profit soccer team, I9 Sports, coming here.
The board voted Aug. 28 that Clark?s contract was invalid.
After that, a recall petition recalling Lazzara began to be circulated by a Tania Grambo of St. Johns, whose family said late Friday that she would rather not speak about the lawsuit.
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