A lawsuit filed in Palm Beach Circuit Court is accusing a longtime South Florida property developer and former Donald Trump associate of skipping out on paying his horse trainer.

Richard Fields and Brandy Coletta were named as defendants in a Jan. 22 complaint alleging they owe more than $25,000 to Lena Wedenmark, a competitive horse trainer based in Wellington.

Wedenmark entered an oral agreement with the defendants in 2012 and agreed to board, train, feed and care for their horse, Harley, in exchange for financial compensation, according to the complaint. Her care for Harley included trimming its feet, tending to its room and board, and ensuring it was vaccinated.

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Read the complaint: 

Initially, Fields and Coletta kept up with their monthly payments, according to the suit. But as of October 2017, the plaintiff had allegedly only received $17,500 of about $43,000 owed to her by the pair. Wedenmark's attorney, Marc Wites of the Wites Law Firm, told the DBR Wedenmark would have preferred to resolve the matter without litigation.

“My client is a hardworking person who treats every horse in her care as if it were her own, and she cared for the defendants' horse in the same way,” Wites said. “She simply expected to be paid for her services, pursuant to her agreement with the defendants.”

Wites said his client continued to tend to the horse's needs despite the outstanding payment owed to her by the defendants.

“Although she was promised a balance of the payment at the time that the defendants finally agreed to take the horse from the stable, that money still has not been paid,” Wites said. “The last thing Ms. Wedenmark ever wanted to do was to file a lawsuit against her now-former clients, but she was left with no choice.”

The suit accuses Fields and Coletta of breach of oral contract as well as breach of implied-in-fact contract and unjust enrichment. As noted in the filing, the defendants “are or were married.” Wites could not definitely confirm Fields and Coletta's current marital status.

It's far from the first time Fields has found himself entangled in litigation. The Miami-based developer and CEO of the Coastal Development Co. helped to establish the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel resorts in South Florida. Fields was mentored by President Donald Trump, who later sued his former protégé after the Seminole resort projects proceeded without his involvement.

Neither Fields nor Coletta have responded to the suit as of press time.

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