By Tim Binnall
A New Jersey woman has filed a lawsuit against a psychic who, she claims, swindled her out of nearly $80,000. According to a local media report, Marisol Meza's court filing explains that she began seeing Holly Stanley, a purported mystic based in Paramus, back in February, when she sought her help while grieving the loss of her husband, who passed away four years ago. Lamenting that a "relationship of trust and emotional dependency" soon developed, the plaintiff indicated that, after an initial consultation for $500, she was quickly convinced to fork over $13,500 for "cleansing rituals" for her and her late husband's spirit.
According to the lawsuit, the psychic subsequently requested and received a staggering $65,000 from Meza for "a new critical ritual that had to be done." In this instance, the plaintiff paid the mystic in 65 separate envelopes containing $1,000 each, corresponding to the number of years her husband had lived. Meza was also told that the funds would go towards "candles, crystals, several tabernacles," and other necessary occult accoutrements. After being told to meditate over a box containing the money, the grieving widow says she handed the veritable treasure chest over to Stanley, who promised to "attract her late husband's soul for the purpose of the ritual."
Meza's filing states that she ultimately grew suspicious of the relationship when the psychic asked for another $52,000 for an additional "cleansing ritual." An online search revealed that the mystic had run into legal trouble for a similar situation a decade ago in which she allegedly bilked a man out of $41,000. Armed with that information, she asked Stanley to return all of the money paid over the course of the relationship, but her request was rebuffed, which led to the lawsuit filed last week. For her part, when a local media outlet contacted the psychic about the case, she furnished a signed agreement wherein Meza acknowledged that the consultations were for "educational, spiritual, and entertainment purposes only" and that "all services are final sale with no refund."