Dominique Grubisa has faced significant legal and regulatory consequences, including millions of dollars in fines, bans from various professional capacities, and disqualification from managing corporations, stemming from her operation of property investment and asset protection schemes. Multiple authorities, including the Federal Court, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, have made adverse findings regarding her business practices and professional conduct.
Background
Dominique Grubisa, a former actor, began offering property investment and asset protection advice in 2012 through her company, DG Institute.
Her family has a history of legal disbarment: her father, Christopher Ronald Fitzsimons, was a solicitor suspended in 2005 for misappropriating funds, including from deceased estates. Her mother, Maria, also a lawyer, was struck off for her involvement in her father's offenses.
Business Schemes and Practices
Grubisa and her businesses offered two primary programs:
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Real Estate Rescue: This program purported to teach individuals how to acquire property at 10-40% below market value. It encouraged targeting individuals in financial distress, such as those facing home repossession, bankruptcy, divorce, or bereavement. A central claim was that banks "give no change" in mortgagee sales, implying sellers would lose all equity unless they sold quickly for a minimal sum. The Federal Court later found this claim to be "misleading and deceptive."
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Master Wealth Control: This scheme involved offering a "Vestey trust" structure, promoted as a means to protect assets from creditors and the government. Documents for these trusts were exclusively provided by DG Institute for an annual fee. The Federal Court subsequently determined these structures contained an "obvious flaw" and were ineffective.
The Federal Court found the "banks give no change" claim to be "misleading and deceptive" and that the "Vestey trust" structures contained an "obvious flaw" rendering them ineffective.
Additionally, an Elite Mentoring Program was offered, with prices ranging from $20,000 to $50,000. This program provided a "leads list" containing names and addresses of individuals in distress or lawyers handling deceased estates, compiled from Family, Supreme, and Federal Court lists.
Regulatory and Legal Actions
Chris Baker, a former property lawyer, acted as a whistleblower, reporting Grubisa's practices to various Australian regulators over seven years. He also reported facing retaliation during this period.
Key regulatory and legal actions include:
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ASIC (April 2022): Imposed a four-year ban on Grubisa from involvement with credit and financial services businesses, determining she was "not a fit and proper person."
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Victorian Legal Services Board (June 2022): Ruled that she was no longer entitled to practice law.
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NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (October 2023): Recommended Grubisa be struck off the roll of lawyers due to professional misconduct. This misconduct included employing her parents, who had been struck off as lawyers, as lay associates, and hiring private investigators to target Chris Baker. The tribunal found her "not fit and proper" to be a lawyer.
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Privacy Commission (2023): Found that Grubisa's "leads list" was generated through unfair means. Her companies were ordered to cease using the list and issue an apology. An investigation by the commission is ongoing.
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Federal Court (March 2024): Following a prosecution by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Justice Ian Jackman found Grubisa's conduct to be "deliberate and dishonest."
Justice Ian Jackman of the Federal Court found Dominique Grubisa's conduct to be "deliberate and dishonest."
The court ruled that the "banks give no change" claim was "misleading and deceptive" and that her asset protection structures were ineffective. The court estimated that her asset protection schemes generated $9.2 million and Real Estate Rescue $8.9 million over three years. DG Institute was ordered to offer refunds to over 2,000 customers for the asset protection scheme and pay a $5 million penalty. Grubisa was personally ordered to pay $1 million for contravening consumer law and disqualified from managing corporations for five years. The court also criticized the ACCC for delays in seeking personal liability for Grubisa for full compensation.
Critics, including Chris Baker, expressed concerns regarding the timeframe taken by regulatory bodies to act.
Business Evolution and Financial Status
Following the initiation of regulatory actions, Grubisa rebranded some of her businesses:
- DG Institute became Property Lovers Pty Ltd.
- DGI Lawyers became Assure Lawyers.
- DGI Debt Management and DGI Accounting went into liquidation, with liquidators raising questions about potential breaches of director duties.
In 2023, Dominique Grubisa applied for bankruptcy, declaring $73 in her bank account and debts totaling $3.44 million, which included court-imposed fines. She admitted transferring properties and proceeds valued at $8.9 million to her husband, Kevin, one month prior to the Federal Court judgment. Kevin has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Despite the legal and financial developments, Grubisa's business operations have continued to evolve. Property Lovers moved to a new platform, enterprisecircle.ai. A related entity, Proptix.ai, offers an AI mentor named "Sage" and is associated with offshore companies located in Wyoming and Hong Kong, with directors based in Belize. Greg Klopper, a former sales manager for DG Institute, is reported to be involved in these new ventures.