New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge felt cheated. According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, he and his wife Samantha claim that a Tampa Bay-area interior designer defrauded them of $750,000 through hidden charges on bills for renovations on their home in Tampa and their New York City apartment.
They filed suit against Amanda Drew of Drew Designs LLC on Jan.28, Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Christina Georgacopoulos reported.
Like many players whose teams have spring training facilities in the state, Judge has had a main residence in Florida since 2014. The lawsuit stems from renovations to a home purchased in the Tampa Bay area in late 2022, around the time he agreed to a $360 million deal to return to the Yankees.
"The Judges estimate Amanda Drew of Drew Designs LLC billed them $750,000 in extra hidden costs, but the full amount they were overcharged is undetermined due to Drew's alleged refusal to hand over receipts, according to a complaint filed in Hillsborough County Circuit Court on Jan. 28," Georgacopoulos wrote.
The report included an example of an overpayment: a $33,000 couch. The Judges claimed it could be purchased for $22,5000 or as low as $18,100 with a discount. They also claimed she added a 20% fee on services by a general contractor in Tampa.
The lawsuit alleges that Drew assumed they would be "too busy to notice" her overcharges and that they "could afford to overpay."
January has been a busy month for Judge. He missed the annual BBWAA awards dinner, where he was to receive his 2024 American League MVP award because he and his wife were expecting their first child "any day." The Judges had announced they were expecting a girl earlier in the month.
The Yankees will have their first team workout for spring training on Feb. 17.
