Eduardo Maura of Ayala Law in Miami has filed a putative class action lawsuit on behalf of a string of businesses that claim that landlords Sterling Retail Services Inc. and SC Mota Associates Partnership, which own the Miami Mall of the Americas, favored Costco’s side of the retail center over theirs.

The named plaintiff is Ulises Ruiz, owner of Mota Pizza Rustica Corp., which opened in September 2015 with a $200,000 investment.

Plaintiff’s photographs show scaffolding within Miami’s Mall of the Americas. Photo: Eduardo Maura