At one point, the neighborhood pool, a gathering spots for residents, turned green.
Then electricity was cut in communal spaces, such as the clubhouse, bathrooms and walkways, discouraging exercise and even short walks.
Trash accumulated where it was supposed to be collected for disposal. Fed-up tenants who moved out were replaced many times over by newcomers: rats, insects and weeds.
Finally, residents and visitors at the Inland Empire’s renowned nudist colony, Olive Dell Ranch, were told to put their clothes on or leave.
The indignities had been piling up, residents say, when a pair of killings stunned the community and drew widespread attention to this quirky but tight-knit enclave of people who share a preference for spending some of their day unclothed.
Now the residents are suing the Olive Dell owners, contending that they are being forced out.
The mass tort lawsuit, filed in San Bernardino County Superior Court, includes 56 plaintiffs comprising tenants, dues-paying members and guests of the 136-acre property just outside the city of Colton.
The plaintiffs are alleging Civil Rights Act violations, unfair business practices, financial elder abuse as well as dependent adult abuse, labor code violations, wrongful termination, negligence and breach of contract.
They also allege the resort owners made their lives miserable in an attempt to drive them out and drive up the value of their property.
The plaintiffs are seeking at least $5 million in damages.
“The residents are just sitting there minding their own business when these new owners made their lives super stressful,” the plaintiffs’ attorney Frances Campbell said. “This is a community of retired elderly, veterans and disabled individuals who really have no other place to go.”
A call and text to the defendants’ attorney, Steven J. Aaronoff, was not returned.
Plaintiffs and attorneys are due back in court Sept. 29.
Defendants Mark Glasier, Brian Cleland and Tina Coffelt purchased the ranch for $2.65 million in 2019.
Those who live there do so either in mobile homes or recreational vehicles and pay for their spot. They, along with visitors, pay membership fees that provide on-site access and amenities that included a hot tub, sauna, steam room, a pool, a restaurant and more.
Many residents are lower income, according to Campbell. The lawsuit showed monthly rents ranging from $550 to $850 for all but one resident listed.
Little changed in the immediate aftermath of the new owners taking over, said 52-year-old Chet Smith, one of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, who moved from Fallbrook in northern San Diego County to Olive Dell in 2019.
Smith, who retired after a 22-year career in the Marines Corps, said one of the reasons he loved the community was the bonds built through outings and events.
“We hosted pride events, small concerts, comedians and bands,” he said. “We had nighttime hiking and even a 5K run. The calendar was always full.”
The end of the good times, however, came in January 2023 when Coffelt, the largest shareholder of the trio of owners but who had been largely inactive in day-to-day operations, assumed a greater role in decision-making, according to the lawsuit.
The ranch was renamed the “Olive Dell RV Park and Resort” so ownership could circumvent the California Mobilehome Residency Law, the suit states. The law limits the raising of rents or utilities and limits evictions.
In November 2024, the resort’s owner announced the ranch would become a “textile” park, meaning clothing would be mandatory on all of the property as of Jan. 6. Previous to this, visitors and residents could be nude, with most choosing to do so, Smith said.
To push residents out, ranch owners stopped maintaining the facilities, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs allege that the owners wanted to raise rents and their property values. Property owners were advertising monthly rates for newcomers starting at $900 per spot, a significant increase from current rates.
Photos included in the suit show a green pool and spa, and dirt and debris accumulating on tennis courts. Trash was no longer collected, nor were weeds whacked, which increased fire risk. Rodents, insects and vermin were visible at the resort, while electricity was shut off to common spaces, according to the lawsuit.
Anger over the spate of changes that kicked off in 2023 were overshadowed, however, when resident Michael Royce Sparks was arrested and charged with brutally killing two neighbors, Daniel and Stephanie Menard, on site.
Sparks’ home was virtually destroyed during his arrest in August 2024 as police used a battering ram to enter his property, yet the debris from his residence has not been cleared away, according to the lawsuit.
Then the gate to the ranch broke, said co-plaintiff Veronica P., who asked that her last name not be made public for fear of retaliation. The entrance was now wide open.
“We were all still dealing with the trauma of Sparks and the Menards and now you [had] people coming in, lookie-loos who wanted to visit the crime scene,” she said. “We were also used to having protection; now anyone can just come in and gawk.”
The owners eventually moved on to issuing informal and non-official eviction notices to residents, saying they were in violation of myriad statutes, the suit states.
Events were officially canceled in late 2024, and some dues-paying members were banned from entering the premises and not issued refunds on unused memberships. The owners eventually stopped maintaining potable water on the ranch, raising the risk of E. coli or other diseases, according to the lawsuit.
The court documents say several electric meters were ripped from homes and replaced with new meters that charged much higher prices, according to the lawsuit. Several customers said their electric bills doubled or tripled, the lawsuit states, alleging that the owners pocketed the increase.
When residents attempted to install surveillance cameras near their homes, some were slapped with a $400 monthly monitoring charge, according to the lawsuit.
Smith said there were roughly 150 inhabitants at the ranch when he moved in. The area was so filled, he was placed on a waiting list.
Smith said he believes the number of residents has now dwindled to less than half that.
He said the colony was one of only two in Southern California, along with Glen Eden in Temescal Canyon.
“Where are we supposed to go if this closes?” he asked. “I’m going to stick it out and fight.”
For Veronica P., an empty nester who moved to Olive Dell in March 2024, the ranch offered her acceptance.
“This was a place of healing and self-discovery,” she said. “I found my community here, a place of loving, supportive and empathetic people. Nudist or not, that’s hard to find.”
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