Hot yoga franchise founders in hot water over ‘unpaid’ legal bills
A glamorous Queensland couple who founded a franchise of 15 hot yoga studios have been sued by their lawyers for allegedly failing to pay their bill for advice given to their franchising company.
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A glamorous Queensland couple who founded a franchise of 15 hot yoga studios have been sued by their lawyers for allegedly failing to pay their bill for advice to their franchising company.
Michael and Suzanna Calava and their company Peak Physique Franchisor Group Pty Ltd (PPFG) have been sued in Brisbane District Court by SLF Lawyers over an $86,379 debt.
According to the claim filed on January 12, PPFG signed a contract with SLF Lawyers for legal services on November 24, 2020, with cost agreements agreed by Michael Calava at this date and again in July 2021.
The claim alleges SLF sent PPFG an invoice for $89,055 but PPFG breached the agreement by failing to pay the bill within a fortnight.
Between April and December 2021, PPFG part-paid the bill by paying $2675, leaving a balance of $86,379, the claim states.
SLF alleges it is entitled to enforce the debt against Noosa couple Michael, 36, and Suzanna, 35, because the written costs agreements they signed contain a personal guarantee.
Under the guarantee, SLF Lawyers registered caveats over Michael’s Newstead apartment, as well as over Suzanna’s block of residential land in Noosa Heads and Michael’s East Brisbane investment apartment.
SLF claims is has an “equitable share” in the properties “as further security for the monies owed by the defendants pursuant to the guarantee”.
No defence has been filed and no hearing date has been set.
The Adelaide born couple started their first Peak Physique hot yoga studio in the Adelaide suburb of Seaton in 2011, and by 2020 it grew to 15 franchised studios.
The couple were reportedly selling franchises for $30,000 each.
The brand once had a presence in Bulimba, in Brisbane’s east, Stafford, in Brisbane’s north, Woolloongabba in Brisbane’s inner south, Robina on the Gold Coast and Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast.
But these franchisees have now shut down, or are trading under new business names.
The Peak Physique Underwood franchisee is the now only licenced Queensland studio.
A spokesman for the Underwood studio told The Courier-Mail the franchisor company is no longer owned by the Michael and Suzanna Calava.
Only three other Peak Physique franchisee’s remain, in Brighton, Noarlunga and Prospect, all in South Australia.
The Courier-Mail has contacted Mark Smith from SLF Lawyers and the Calavas for comment.
More Coverage
Originally published as Hot yoga franchise founders in hot water over ‘unpaid’ legal bills
‘I have no girls left’: Next chapter revealed for Hannah Clarke’s shattered parents
Five years after the tragedy that horrified the nation and crushed a close-knit Queensland family, Lloyd and Sue Clarke are ready to begin their next chapter. But it’s a move that’s not without deep sadness.
Shock moment TV host, Origin star’s Qld property broken into
A Queensland TV news reporter has shared the “confronting” experience she had when she woke to find intruders armed with a tomahawk and a baseball bat on the property she shares with her State of Origin star husband.
83mm in 60 mins: Morning storms after inland Qld hammered
Severe thunderstorms have hit parts of inland Queensland overnight, with one area recording more than 80mm in an hour, as more flared up this morning.
First look: next Cirque du Soleil spectacular touring Australia
Audiences in five Aussie cities are in store for a blend of “comedy and never-seen-before acrobatics” when Corteo arrives on our shores later this year. See the video.
Airport eyes off Asian routes as domestic expansion plans take off
International growth is on the cards for the Sunshine Coast Airport after a major draft scheme was given the green light last year, but federal funding is needed for plans to take shape.
Editor’s view: Deep stain of domestic violence continues to shame Australia
If there is a tragedy which encapsulates the full horror of Australia’s domestic violence crisis, it’s the tragedy which struck the Clarke family in 2020. But as DV rates continue to soar, we must consider – is enough being done to stop this scourge?