Fayssanya Pratt, a former personal assistant to AriZona co‑founder John Ferolito, says she was given a Coral Springs home and promised the deed after her previous house was damaged. Pratt and her three children have lived in the house since 2018 and claim to have invested nearly $100,000 in taxes and upkeep. Ferolito has moved to evict them, arguing the property was his investment and Pratt lived there as a tenant; Pratt seeks $750,000 and invokes promissory estoppel. A virtual hearing is scheduled for Nov. 23.
AriZona Co-Founder Allegedly Gifted Longtime Assistant a Home — Now Seeks to Evict Her
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Fayssanya Pratt, who worked for 23 years as a personal assistant to AriZona Iced Tea co‑founder John Ferolito, says Ferolito gave her a Coral Springs house after her previous home was damaged and promised to transfer the deed. The relationship has since deteriorated: Ferolito has moved to evict Pratt and her three children, while Pratt maintains there was an oral agreement that made her the homeowner.
Background
According to reporting by Atlanta Black Star, Ferolito had provided substantial support to Pratt over the years, including paying for her son's braces, gifting her a Chevrolet Tahoe, and contributing $160,000 to an investment account for Pratt and her children. After Pratt's home flooded in 2017, she says she asked Ferolito for help finding a new house.
Disputed Gift and Living Arrangements
Pratt says she received a $400,000 search budget and was promised the deed after a home was purchased. Since 2018, Pratt and her children have lived in a Coral Springs residence valued at about $493,736. Pratt asserts she paid the property taxes, covered repairs and maintenance, and invested nearly $100,000 in the home.
Trouble at Work and Legal Claims
Pratt says tensions rose in 2022 after Ron Cohen, CEO of Ferolito's trust—whom Pratt has separately accused of assault and sexual harassment—allegedly told Ferolito that Pratt was exploiting his generosity and had been verbally hostile. Pratt was fired by September 2022.
In 2023 Ferolito sought to evict Pratt and her family. There is no written agreement transferring the deed, so the case relies on witness testimony, documents and other evidence. Ferolito contends the residence was his investment and that Pratt's occupancy depended on her continued employment; he also argues her payments toward taxes and maintenance amounted to rent.
Pratt's Legal Theory and Evidence
Pratt counters that the long residency and her financial contributions make the alleged oral promise enforceable, invoking promissory estoppel. She submitted video evidence in which Ferolito's assistant, Kelly Aldrich, reportedly confirmed Ferolito's intent to sign over the deed. Pratt is seeking $750,000 in compensatory damages for financial losses and emotional distress.
Pratt says she was offered a nondisclosure agreement that included a clause barring her from suing individuals connected to the Ferolito trust. She alleges the NDA was meant to block her from asserting sexual harassment claims against Cohen.
Pratt also says a previously promised weekly severance payment of $1,400 was cut, which she says left her "blindsided": "I never signed anything with him. He's a billionaire. He made all kinds of deals and purchases on a whim... If he tells you he's going to do something, he just did it," she told the outlet.
Current Status
The dispute remains active. A virtual hearing is scheduled for Nov. 23 before Judge Jeffrey Levenson, and Pratt and her children are reported to still be living in the Coral Springs home while the case proceeds.
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