Miami Developer Faces Legal Battle Over $15K Donation to University

MIAMI, Fla. — Prominent Miami developer Avra Jain, known for revitalizing historic properties across the city, is embroiled in a legal dispute over $15,435 in donations she made to the University of Miami (UM) while owing millions in court judgments. Creditors are now seeking to reclaim the funds to satisfy a $2.4 million judgment against Jain from a 2020 legal malpractice lawsuit.

In 2020, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman ordered Jain to pay $2.4 million to her former attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney after dismissing her malpractice lawsuit as “a misguided and desperate attempt” to shift liability. The judgment, now totaling over $3 million with accrued interest, remains unpaid. Creditors recently discovered Jain’s donations to UM, made between April 2021 and the present, and have filed a motion to recover the funds.

Jain, who chairs UM’s School of Architecture advisory board, contributed to the university’s architecture school, medical school, and athletics department. Her creditors argue these donations were made while she avoided paying her legal debts. “Before someone could promote themselves as a benefactor of a learning institution, they should have to pay their judgments,” said Robert Stok, an attorney representing the creditors.

Jain’s legal troubles trace back to a 2009 lawsuit filed by her former business partner, Abraham Cohen, over a failed luxury condominium project in Doral. A 2017 judgment ruled against Jain, ordering her to pay $8.2 million. She later sued her former attorneys for malpractice, but the case was dismissed, leading to the current $2.4 million judgment.

Jain’s attorneys argue the donations came from a joint bank account shared with her wife, Dalia Lagoa, and that creditors cannot pursue fraud claims under multiple Florida statutes. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for February 20.

Despite her legal battles, Jain has been celebrated for her work in Miami’s real estate scene. Her company, Vagabond Group, has transformed historic properties in neighborhoods like Little Haiti, Wynwood, and the MiMo District. She also developed Factory Town, a popular music venue in Hialeah.

As the legal saga continues, creditors remain determined to recover the funds. “We shouldn’t have to check the pillars of society to get paid this judgment,” Stok said.