DOUBLING Down With the Derricos’ Deon Derrico sued a charity for $100,000 after he claimed he “didn’t receive promised gifts.”
Deon, 50, stars on Doubling Down With the Derricos on TLC alongside his wife Karen, 41, and their 14 children.
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The Sun can exclusively reveal Deon sued charity Legacy Ladies, who provides academic and experiential programs for disenfranchised girls, in March 2019 for negligence, breach of contract, fraud and more.
In court papers obtained by The Sun, Deon, who described himself as a “loving husband” of then-11 children, claimed he was asked to appear on television and radio shows due to his large family.
After appearing on The View, Jackie Castillo of Legacy Ladies reached out to Deon for his family to appear at their event at the Beverly Hilton in California with all expenses paid.
The complaint read: “Defendant Castillo mentioned that many gifts would be provided to Plaintiff. He perceived this to be a blessing as with any large family, resources are quickly expended and the promise of assistance was graciously welcomed.”
The charity donated $1,200 to the family for the christening of their quintuplets.
Karen was flown for a two-night stay for her gown fitting ahead of the ceremony in 2014, while Deon went to a tuxedo fitting in Nevada.
At the event on March 29, 2014, Jackie made several “promises” on stage including gifting the family with “a new 15 passenger Van valued at $40,000, six months of mortgage payments at $18,000, a full rehab of Plaintiff Derrico’s oldest daughter’s bedroom (valued at $10,000) and a Mathnazium for the children ($4,800).”
Then days later on April 1, 2014, Deon was contacted by Jackie and was told they learned he was being investigated for real estate fraud.
The court papers claimed: “Plaintiff informed her that it was a misunderstanding and the charges were not true in any form, but she told Plaintiff they couldn’t get any of the gifts promised until after Plaintiff Derrico’s case was concluded and he resolved his criminal charges.
“Defendant Castillo and Plaintiff Derrico made an oral modification and agreed Plaintiff must resolve his criminal case prior to receiving any benefits and Defendants would not contact him until after his trial concluded.”
He believes Jackie was “aware of the investigation prior to Defendant Legacy’s event, but because the Derrico family was prominently featured on the advertisements and marketing materials, it was inconvenient for Defendants to modify the agreement until after the event was over as they collected more than $250,000 generated from the Derrico family.”
When Deon was not convicted of the criminal charges in 2018, he did not hear from Legacy Ladies.
He claimed the charity created an “unlawful scheme” to “make money with a headlining family that had appeared on national television shows to boost sales to an event honoring him, and save on the expense of providing the items promised.”
He called the actions “deceitful and dishonest.”
Deon claimed in the court papers that Jackie was aware he needed help with his children’s medical bills and necessities for their quality of life.
He alleged she was aware of his economic situation and that the promised items would be “beneficial” to the family.
He is asking for $100,000.
The charity denied the allegations in Deon’s complaint.
A request to dismiss the case was filed in May 2020 by their attorneys.
As The Sun has reported, Deon and Karen have struggled with legal troubles and financial issues through the years.
The Sun previously reported Deon was charged with 13 counts, including theft, false representation concerning title, multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit, and more crimes on June 24, 2014.
For the theft counts, Deon and a co-defendant were accused of “participating in a fraudulent scheme, to either directly or indirectly gain control of real property… by filing two fraudulent and fictitious quitclaim deeds with the Clark County Recorder’s Office, transferring the [victim’s] property into the name of Derrico and depriving the [victim] of their property.”
The property was valued at over $3,500.
Deon pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.
The case went to trial in 2018, and an attorney for the State of Nevada requested Deon’s children not be mentioned to the jury because it “might distract the jury from the facts of the case.”
Deon was found not guilty, except for one count of false representation concerning title and one count of notarization of signature of person not in presence of notary public.
The jury was “deadlocked” and the court ordered a “mistrial.”
The Sun also reported the couple’s home featured on the show is in foreclosure and awaiting an auction sale.
Deon filed a petition for the foreclosure mediation assistance after the home he purchased in 2015 went into default a month prior, according to court papers in March 2020.
The filing is to provide a “remedy of last resort for the homeowner to avoid foreclosure and loss of his/her home” through a mediation process with negotiations between the lender and owner.
A mediator was assigned to the parties, but they were unable to agree to a loan modification and the negotiations were terminated.
The petition for foreclosure mediation assistance was dismissed and the foreclosure was to be issued in the normal course of business.
Then in February 2021, Deon filed a complaint against US Bank National Association.
The foreclosure sale was to be conducted on or about March 12, 2021, but he claimed the date was “improper.”
He argued that the home is the primary residence of his wife Karen and their 14 children.
He then filed a temporary restraining order to prohibit the foreclosure of the sale, but the court denied the motion.
An auction for the Sin City home is on Wednesday, September 1 with opening bids for the 2,321 square-foot house starting at $430,254.
TLC did not immediately respond to The Sun’s request for comment at the time.
The foreclosure comes after The Sun revealed the parents filed for bankruptcy five times in the past.
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