BROCKTON — A block of 11 properties owned by mayoral candidate Hamilton Rodrigues won’t be sold at foreclosure auction after all.
The building that houses the iconic George’s Cafe plus nearby parcels were scheduled to be sold to the highest bidder on Sept. 26 for “failure to make payments when due.” Rodrigues said the foreclosure wasn’t because of his financial mismanagement, as alleged by his business partner Joao Cardoso in a lawsuit, but instead a strategy to resolve the dispute.
“My partner and I have hugged and made up,” Rodrigues said Aug. 31. Five days later, the auction had been canceled, according to the auctioneer, the Paul E. Saperstein Co.
An attorney for Cardoso, longtime Brockton lawyer Sander S. Lederman, declined to comment on the dispute.
Rodrigues has made his chops as a real estate broker and entrepreneur a major selling point in his campaign. He has pledged not to take a salary if he wins. Before the foreclosure sale was scheduled, Rodrigues had put the 11 properties on the market.
“A partnership disagreement is being resolved,” he said. “I put it on the market to see if that would be the best option. I’m not interested in hurting my partner.”
Rodrigues alleges ‘sabotage’ on his mayoral run
Rodrigues claimed that social media posts about the auction were part of a “sabotage campaign” waged by the powers that be in Brockton.
“They were trying to show that Hamilton Rodrigues was not capable of managing a $550 million [city] budget. They’re just envious of my success,” he said.
Rodrigues and partners own George’s, though that ownership is under a separate limited liability company from the Belmont Street real estate on which George’s sits. Rodrigues said nothing will change at the restaurant and bar. George’s holds a high place in Brockton history built under previous owner Charlie Tartaglia, who died Aug. 14 at 87. In that original incarnation, George’s became a go-to spot for boxing champions like local hero Rocky Marciano or visiting legends including Muhammad Ali. Rodrigues and partners bought George’s and the surrounding block in 2019 for $2.4M.
Court fights over Rodrigues’ alleged business practices
A court battle between Rodrigues and Cardoso remains unresolved.
Cardoso filed suit in October 2021, alleging that Hamilton “mismanaged the restaurant business generally,” including losing the Mass Lottery account on more than one occasion, based on failures to properly account for or send funds to the Lottery Commission on time.
Cardoso also alleged that Rodrigues ran George’s thriving lunch business into the ground, caused high employee turnover and failed to pay vendors and creditors. In a connection to the now-canceled foreclosure sale, Cardoso claims that Hamilton also got behind on the mortgage to the Bank of Gloucester. The bank said the same in a legal notice published in The Enterprise.
A key element in the dispute is the ownership share. Cardoso contends it’s 50/50 while Rodrigues maintains the split is 52/38 in his favor.
Rodrigues counter-sued Cardoso for breach of contract, saying Cardoso failed to do his part to manage and operate George’s beyond him initially putting $250,000 into the business.
Rodrigues also faces a court challenge in Norfolk County over his business practices from his cousins Marcel Rosa and Maxwell Rosa.
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