PENSACOLA, Fla. (July 14, 2025) — Following four years of litigation and a week long jury trial prosecuted by Zarzaur Law, P.A., in Escambia County Circuit Court, a jury returned a $50 million dollar verdict against James “Craig” Schultz, Progressive Management of America, Inc., and Myrtle Grove Acquisitions, LLC. The case exposed negligence leading up to a 2020 attempted murder at a senior apartment complex in Pensacola.
On September 25, 2020, tenant David Saldana, a licensed physical therapist assistant who worked at Baptist Hospital, was shot six times by a neighboring resident, Yagaunda Bushbaum. The attack occurred after Bushbaum made unwanted sexual advances, and when rejected, she shot him six times and filed a false police report claiming assault.
The Defendants never offered anything more than $350,000 prior to trial. This amount would not have paid Mr. Saldana’s medical bills, much less compensate him for his future treatment.
According to the Complaint, the defendants were aware that Bushbaum had a history of harassing and threatening behavior and access to a firearm. Despite multiple warnings from tenants, the defendants failed to act, placing Saldana in the apartment unit directly next to Bushbaum without any notice of the known risks.
The apartment manager, Shultz, then conspired with Bushbaum, with whom he was having some type of close personal relationship, to fabricate sexual assault allegations against Mr. Saldana. Shultz then reported this alleged assault on behalf of Bushbaum but failed to inform police about Bushbaum’s history of filing false complaints against other residents. Bushbaum, who suffered from mental issues, started to realize that their fabricated charges were not going to survive scrutiny and took matters into her own hands. After asking Mr. Saldana to come pick up a gift she had purchased for him, she shot him six times as he stood outside of her door. Mr. Saldana sustained gunshot wounds to his legs, arm, pelvis, and abdomen, endured two major surgeries, and woke up shackled to a hospital bed following his wrongful arrest on the false charges. Thanks to excellent police work by Investigator Eric Alvarez, who then worked for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Saldana was cleared of all charges, and Bushbaum was arrested and charged with attempted murder. His recovery involved a month-long hospitalization, transfer to a rehabilitation center, and multiple follow-up procedures. Mr. Saldana has permanent bowel and bladder dysfunction as well as debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder. Bushbaum was later convicted of attempted murder and is now in prison.
“A foreign investor purchased the apartments in 2014 and basically stripped down its management budget, leaving only sufficient funds to combine maintenance with management. Schultz had no experience in management prior to Myrtle Grove and it was obvious that these companies placed profits over people” said lead trial lawyer Joe Zarzaur. Zarzaur also noted that the Escambia County jury of six women and one man worked tirelessly for an entire week to arrive at justice for Mr. Saldana pointing out, “Our civil justice system works well when we have our fellow citizens apply our laws to protect us like they did in this case.”
This case is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of putting profits over people and failing to address known safety risks, especially in residential communities. Property owners and management companies have a legal duty in Florida to protect their tenants from foreseeable harm — and they can be held accountable when they fail to do so.
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About Zarzaur Law, P.A.
Joe Zarzaur is a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney whose firm has been dedicated to promoting community safety since 2007. OUR AREAS OF PRACTICE: Serious Personal Injury, Product Defect, Auto Accidents, Cycling Accidents, Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Products Liability, Wrongful Death, Boat and Jet Ski Accidents, Slip and Fall Injuries, and more. Licensed in Alabama and Florida. Offices in Pensacola, Destin, Tallahassee, and Miami. www.zarzaurlaw.com