Facing two lawsuits in New Jersey and dozens of others across the country accusing him of fraud, former Fox News host Clayton Morris has moved out of the country.
His wife, Natali Morris, posted on her website that the couple has moved to Portugal amid fraud allegations that have led to media coverage and a host of legal issues.
"I am not one of those who rejects America," she wrote. "We had a good life there. But my husband and I have had a hard few years in our business and this collective soul challenge forced us to question everything."
Natali Morris told NJ Advance Media in an email this week that the family is moving to Portugal on temporary visas to allow their children to attend schools overseas. After moving out of New Jersey earlier this year, they initially established permanent residency in Pennsylvania, she said.
No criminal charges have been filed against the former “Fox & Friends” co-host, but Clayton Morris is facing more than two dozen lawsuits from around the country that allege he organized a scheme to defraud customers for his own financial gain by selling them Indiana rental properties with the promise to rehab and rent them, but failing to do so.
According to the New York Times, Morris Invest helped sell at least 1,000 properties over the past two years and took in more than $5 million in referral fees and profits.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s office previously confirmed they have received numerous complaints against Morris, but did not confirm or deny if there is a criminal investigation.
In May, two civil lawsuits, involving three families, were filed in Superior Court in New Jersey and included allegations of violating the state’s Consumer Fraud Act, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
Lisa Considine, an attorney representing two New Jersey families in a Middlesex County Superior Court lawsuit, said the Morris family leaving the country is a concern, but she will continue to pursue justice for her clients against Clayton Morris and his company, Morris Invest.
“It is telling that the Morrises have elected to leave the country in the wake of the allegations of fraud against them,” said Considine. “We are not deterred and intend to continue to vigorously seek relief on behalf of our clients from both the Morris’s and other defendants in the litigation.”
The class-action lawsuit alleges Clayton Morris defrauded investors through a real estate scheme in Indiana.
Natali Morris told NJ Advance Media that they “cannot and do not intend to run from this." She said they have been responding to the lawsuits in a timely manner and have arranged for legal services as the cases progress.
Beth Stephens, a distinguished professor of law at Rutgers Law School, said if Morris has already been served then the legal process can move forward with him abroad, as long as he has counsel representing him and responding to the complaints. Stephens said there are ways to serve someone in a foreign country, so Morris would not be immune from additional civil lawsuits while living abroad.
Crew Schielke, an attorney representing a Somerset man in the second New Jersey lawsuit, said Clayton Morris has not been served with the complaint yet, but he is working with Morris’ counsel on an alternative way to serve him in Portugal. Schielke declined to comment further.
Considine, who is representing Michael and Victor DeJesus and Jihua Liu, said Clayton Morris was served with their complaint before moving out of the country.
But Natali Morris has been adamant they will fulfill their legal obligations in all the lawsuits against her husband and his company, which allegedly swindled investors into blindly sending money to Clayton Morris.
According to a lawsuit filed in Middlesex County Superior Court, the DeJesuses and Liu were connected to Clayton Morris through his YouTube videos and podcasts that touted his real estate investment expertise.
Liu, an Avenel resident, said in an interview in March that his experience was “nowhere near what they advertised or promised.” He purchased an Indiana property from Clayton Morris in April 2018 for $50,000 and was told the rehabs would happen “within 10 to 12 weeks.” The property has not been rehabilitated, according to the lawsuit.
Victor DeJesus, a Plainsboro resident, and Nuan Tinio, of Somerset, outline similar experiences in the lawsuits.
The New York Times and the Indianapolis Star first reported on the fraud allegations.
In a statement to the IndyStar when the allegations became public in March, an attorney representing Morris denied the claims, saying they were defrauded by a long time real estate salesman in Indianapolis who ran Oceanpointe and other property management companies that were named in the lawsuits.
“Clayton Morris and Morris Invest identify with the many investors who lost money through home-renovation, property-management, and other failures by Oceanpointe and its various corporate entities and employees," David Hensel, Morris’ attorney, said in the statement. "Clayton Morris and his family purchased properties and were similarly damaged by Oceanpointe’s misconduct. The Morris family and Morris Invest have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Clayton and Morris Invest deny all allegations of wrongdoing.”
Natali Morris told the IndyStar last week that her husband did not "defraud anyone.”
Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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