Judge orders that Wichita woman must repay people who tried to rent event space
A Wichita woman who took money but then could never provide space for different events has been ordered to pay $62,682.
Misty Welch, doing business as The Gathering Place at 1040 W. Pawnee, had the default judgment ordered against her after failing to respond to court summons, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
She took money for quinceaneras, birthday parties and at least one wedding, according to the DA’s office and court records.
“After accepting payments, Ms. Welch was evicted from the venue for failure to pay rent and the consumers were left without a place to hold their events,” the DA’s office said in a news release. “Ms. Welch promised refunds to the aggrieved consumers, but failed to pay any back in full.”
The money she is ordered to pay first goes to the consumers who lost their money and then to investigative and court fees.
In an email after this story first published, Welch said the landlord never told her she was evicted.
“My clients are the victims and I just ended up getting a (bad) deal with a bad landlord and I just want my clients to know once again how sorry I am,” Welch said. “To please not give up on me that I will give them their refunds.”
One woman said she paid Welch $2,100 on Jan. 9, 2023, for a venue for her wedding on Sept. 23, 2023.
Welch called the woman on Aug. 15, 2023, less than six weeks before the wedding, saying she lost the building and would pay her back in 45 days, court records show.
The records indicate that Welch would then “come up with an excuse on how she cant (sic) pay me,” the woman wrote.
Another woman said she paid Welch $1,750 to host an event but later was told by Welch that she no longer had the space.
“I asked for reimbursement,” the woman wrote. “She declined and since then doesnt (sic) answer any of my calls.”
Both of those cases are still pending in court after Welch could not be found and served for a court appearance, court records show.
This story was originally published January 4, 2025 at 3:41 PM.