First a 31.99 million Dutch lawsuit alleging fraud and other misconduct. Now a U.S. federal case over a debt the company itself acknowledged in writing - after the company defaulted following a transfer of control.

Cialdini Institute LLC, which formally changed its legal name to Alpha Bravo Group LLC earlier this year, is facing another lawsuit.

A debt admitted in writing, then left unpaid after Trophy Point Capital CEO Samir Patel took control

In Martinelli v. Cialdini Institute LLC n/k/a Alpha Bravo Group, LLC, early investor Paul Martinelli asks the court to enforce a 2024 settlement and a signed Confession of Judgment in which Cialdini Institute acknowledged it was "justly indebted" to him for $875,000.

The new federal complaint states that $273,458.59 remained due as of August 11, 2026 - $249,478 in unpaid principal plus $23,980.59 in accrued interest - and asks the court to enter final judgment for that amount, plus additional interest, costs and attorneys' fees.

According to the Dutch court filings, Trophy Point Capital CEO Samir Patel became the controlling figure following the disputed ownership transfer. The Florida complaint separately states that Cialdini Institute's payment default occurred after control had been transferred to its current ownership.

Cialdini Institute changed its name shortly after liability notices

The public-record timeline is striking:

March 17: Wouters's liability notices and demands totaling $1,187,200.63 were sent to the company, Cialdini, Gorden - his wife and business partner - and Patel.

March 24: A further $1.55 million IP demand followed.

March 31: Cialdini Institute LLC changed its legal name to Alpha Bravo Group LLC.

May 1: The Martinelli balloon payment went unpaid.

Today, the Institute that made "Cialdini" a synonym for ethical influence no longer calls itself Cialdini.

A familiar move when creditors close in?

Changing a company's legal name does not eliminate debts, judgments or liabilities. But it can make later court filings and registry records harder to discover for outsiders who continue searching only for the well-known former name.

Whether distancing future litigation and creditor claims from the highly recognizable Cialdini name played any role is not established by the filings.

The filings do not establish a motive. They do establish the sequence.

Bas Wouters paid $502,000, while the actual debtor, Cialdini Institute, paid only $45,500.

Martinelli's filing states that of $547,500 credited against the obligation, approximately $502,000 was paid personally by Bas Wouters, while Cialdini Institute itself paid approximately $45,500, even though the obligation was a Cialdini Institute debt and Wouters was only the guarantor.

The "ethical influence" brand and the court records

Public records show that Robert Cialdini built a global reputation around understanding persuasion and protecting people from unwanted influence.

Over the past decades, he and his wife commercialized that science through Influence At Work, offering training and consulting to organizations to help them influence those same ordinary people.

The reassurance was ethics.

The Cialdini Code of Ethics promotes truthfulness, avoiding manipulation, considering all parties' interests, informing rather than misleading, and acknowledging mistakes promptly.

The question now raised by the court records is whether the people behind one of the world's best-known brands in ethical influence applied those same standards when their own ownership, money and business interests were at stake.

No court has yet determined that Robert Cialdini, Bobette Gorden or the other defendants violated the ethical standards they publicly promote. The allegations remain contested.

That question is now being tested against the public record in more than one courtroom.

Read the Filing. Check the evidence. Make Up Your Own Mind.

Both lawsuits can be downloaded at cialdinicase.com/case-documents.

No court has ruled on the merits. The defendants may dispute the allegations and respond in court.

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