Schmitt wins judgment against former Springfield business

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt this week announced his office secured a default judgment in a case involving a former Springfield business.

The judgment prohibits Martin Management Group LLC and owner Steve Martin from selling timeshare-relief services in Missouri, according to a news release. The judgment additionally requires the company to pay nearly $223,000 to the state, roughly $170,000 of which is restitution.

"I’m pleased that my office was able to obtain a default judgment against Steve Martin and Martin Management, and we will work diligently to ensure that Missourians who were scammed are refunded," Schmitt said in the release. "It’s important for Missourians to remember, especially when dealing with timeshares, that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Martin Management Group was sued by Schmitt’s office a year ago for allegedly failing to deliver promised services, such as directing customers to pay timeshare maintenance expenses to them — under the premise they were no longer necessary — resulting in debt owed to the timeshare holding companies.

Martin Management now operates in Parkville, near Kansas City, according to the Better Business Bureau. Martin, who formerly operated Martin Management Group in Springfield with his brother, David, had a 1996-2004 career in the NFL, most recently with the Minnesota Vikings, according to the league’s website.

"Consumers reported to BBB that they lost thousands of dollars after the business failed to deliver on its promises," said Michelle Corey, BBB St. Louis president and CEO, in a separate news release.

Martin previously told Springfield Business Journal his brother, who died in 2018, was the leader of the timeshare exit side of the Martin Management Group operations.