Investors and customers sue developer

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer

A Los Altos developer is getting sued by his investors and customers for allegedly keeping their money, despite promises to make them whole.

Navneet Aron, 47, allegedly said he would return $50,000 to Jim Dvorkin and $100,000 to Wilson Chow after they invested in a new home at 4221 Wilkie Way in Palo Alto. Chow also invested in a second project in Sunnyvale.

‘Low risk’

Aron advertised his projects as “low risk,” with returns of 15-20% expected within six months, Dvorkin and Chow said in their lawsuits.

But Aron told his investors in May 2025 that the Wilkie Way project had actually lost 13.5% and committed to fully reimbursing their investments within 60 days, the suits said. To keep Dvorkin and Chow from suing, Aron allegedly promised to personally assume the debt but missed his payment deadline again. Dvorkin sued Aron on April 8, and Chow sued on July 30.

Aron’s attorney Brian O’Neill said on Wednesday that Aron has returned the money to Chow, and Aron provided a copy of an email from Chow confirming receipt.

O’Neill said he expects the lawsuit to be dismissed. He didn’t have information about Dvorkin’s case.

Obstacles

Aron said the project started in 2018 and encountered nearly every possible obstacle: pandemic shutdowns, a historic rise in interest rates, extended permitting delays and the 2023 storm season. 

The project was completed and sold into a down market and didn’t turn a profit.

“When that happened, we made a decision: our investors would be made whole on their principal, and any shortfall would come out of our own pocket rather than theirs. That commitment stands,” Aron said.

Homeowners sue

Aron is also getting sued by Los Altos residents Grace Kayee Chan and Yong Suck Brian Kim for allegedly mismanaging construction of their $2 million home at 283 Sunkist Lane.

Chan and Kim said they paid Aron $1.5 million, but he kept delaying construction. They said Aron stiffed subcontractors and suppliers, performed work without a contractor’s license and diverted money from their home to other ventures. Aron and his company Livio Building Systems “made fraudulent promises” and had “secret intentions,” Chan and Kim said in their lawsuit, filed on July 2.

All three cases against Aron were filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court. 

Aron has done about two dozen projects on the Peninsula since 2015, ranging from single-family homes to apartment buildings. 

Tallest building in town

Aron wants to build the tallest building in Los Altos, reaching 110 feet at 4898 El Camino Real. 

Neighbors have pushed back on the eight-story, 85-unit building, but City Manager Gabriel Engeland said state law required council to approve the project.