State sues Children's Wish Foundation over value of donations

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - A Florida official has filed a lawsuit against Atlanta-based Children&#39;s Wish Foundation International, saying the group shortchanged children&#39;s homes to which it gave toys and other gifts. <br> <br> Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charlie Bronson filed the suit yesterday. <br> <br> Bronson says the group reported donating $415-thousand worth of toys, books and other items it collected from businesses to hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in Florida. He says in the suit that nine of the 21 organizations the charity said received donations now say they never got anything. <br> <br> The suit also claims that the value of items that were given to the remaining 12 homes and hospitals was only 86-thousand dollars, not 415-thousand. It seeks civil penalties of up to 10-thousand dollars for each violation. <br> <br> Errol Copilevitz, an attorney for the foundation, said the allegations that some gifts weren&#39;t delivered was wrong and the organization would prove it through shipping records. <br> <br> He said the undervaluation of the gifts was a technical accounting mistake from 1998 and was corrected in amended paperwork filed with the state.