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Jealous Ex Slandered Gym Owner With Rumors of Pest Infestation: Lawsuit

 A lawsuit charges that the ex-girlfriend of the owner of Powerplay spread rumors about the business, including that it had a
A lawsuit charges that the ex-girlfriend of the owner of Powerplay spread rumors about the business, including that it had a "pest infestation," because she was jealous he took another woman on vacation.
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DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht

GOWANUS — A jilted lover hoping to get even with an ex has been trashing the reputation of the children's gym he runs, telling parents it's infested with rats in a bid to destroy the business, a new lawsuit charges. 

Fritzner Jean, the owner of Powerplay on Third Avenue and Seventh Street, filed suit against his former employee and girlfriend Abiola Bruce seeking $15 million in damages and a court order to get Bruce to stop a "revenge plot" against him.

Bruce "became irate" after Jean took another woman on vacation and vowed to ruin him, according to the lawsuit, filed June 25 in Kings County Supreme Court.

Bruce falsely accused Jean of sexual assault, broke into his home office and stole money and important business files, and spread lies about him to Powerplay employees and clients, according to the lawsuit.

Bruce's revenge campaign “caused clients to abandon the business, withdraw from classes and demand refunds,” according to the lawsuit.

One parent whose daughter was a longtime student there asked for her money back and pulled her daughter out of a gymnastics class because she felt attending Powerplay "would be a threat to her safety," according to an email the parent wrote to Powerplay.

Jean's attorney Michael Hiller described his client as "a longstanding pillar of the Park Slope community" whose "well-earned reputation has been viciously and falsely maligned by Ms. Bruce."

Jean is a member of Brooklyn's Community Board 6 and was appointed to the inaugural District 15 Community Education Council by former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

He's run Powerplay since 1999. The gym offers activities such as tumbling, dance, gymnastics, and rock climbing and serves infants to 10-year-olds. It's one of several spaces Brooklyn parents rely on for rainy day fun, and it can also be rented for birthday parties.

Bruce was an instructor at the facility when she and Jean became romantically involved. They broke up but remained friends, according to the lawsuit.

That changed in May 2014, when Jean took a new girlfriend to the Virgin Islands for a vacation. Bruce became so enraged when she found out about the trip that she tried to shut down Powerplay by confiscating employees' keys and locking the doors, according to the lawsuit.

Bruce then called parents whose kids were scheduled to attend Powerplay classes that week and told them the building was closed because exterminators needed to get rid of a rat infestation, according to the lawsuit.

Jean cut short his trip to return to Brooklyn so he could "stop the ongoing damage" Bruce was causing, but the situation got worse, according to the lawsuit. Bruce broke into Jean's home office to steal files and $3,700 in cash, then called 911 to report that she'd been sexually assaulted.

Jean was arrested and arraigned, but the charges against him were later dropped, according to the lawsuit.

Bruce then visited Powerplay and told employees there to find new jobs because Jean had been arrested, according to the lawsuit.

The Brooklyn District Attorney's office did not have details about the case.

Bruce called Powerplay customers and employees claiming to be a "Detective Marshall," and she asked a former Powerplay employee to unlike the gym's Facebook page "because Fritz was arrested for sex crimes against an unnamed staffer," according to the lawsuit.

Bruce could not be reached for comment.

"Ms. Bruce has abused, not only Fritz and his business, but also the thousands of people who have come to rely upon Powerplay and the services it provides, as well as the people of the City of New York whose resources she has exploited to pursue her 'Fatal Attraction' vendetta against a good man," wrote Jean's attorney, Michael Hiller, in a statement.

"We will diligently prosecute our clients' claims against Ms. Bruce and secure a judgment against her."