A Los Altos developer who built a home on Palo Alto's Wilkie Way is facing three lawsuits in Santa Clara County Superior Court from investors and clients who say he kept their money.
Navneet Aron, 47, founder and CEO of Livio Building Systems, promised investors Jim Dvorkin and Wilson Chow returns of 15% to 20% within six months on a residential project at 4221 Wilkie Way, advertising it as "low risk," the lawsuits allege, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post, which first reported the lawsuits on Aug. 12. Dvorkin invested $50,000 and Chow invested $100,000.
Instead, Aron told investors in May 2025 that the project had lost 13.5%. He committed to fully reimbursing their principal within 60 days but missed that deadline, the suits allege.
Dvorkin sued on April 8. Chow sued on July 30.
Aron's attorney Brian O'Neill said Aron has since returned Chow's $100,000 and provided an email from Chow confirming receipt. O'Neill said he expects that lawsuit to be dismissed. He said he had no information about Dvorkin's case.
"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 told the Daily Post on Aug. 12.
$1.5 million allegedly diverted
A third lawsuit, filed July 2 by Los Altos homeowners Grace Kayee Chan and Yong Suck Brian Kim, paints a darker picture. The couple alleges they paid Aron $1.5 million toward construction of their $2 million home at 283 Sunkist Lane in Los Altos. According to their complaint, Aron stiffed subcontractors and suppliers, performed work without a contractor's license and diverted their money to other ventures.
The lawsuit accuses Aron and Livio Building Systems of making "fraudulent promises" with "secret intentions."
License suspended
California's Contractors State License Board lists Livio Building Systems' general contractor license (#1099549) as suspended, for failing to maintain workers' compensation coverage — which lapsed April 30, 2025 — and for a lapsed contractor's bond, cancelled Dec. 17, 2025. The license remains listed as inactive.
Aron has completed about two dozen projects on the Peninsula since 2015, ranging from single-family homes to apartment buildings. He is also seeking approval for what would be the tallest building in Los Altos: an eight-story, 85-unit apartment complex at 4898 El Camino Real, reaching 110 feet. The Los Altos City Council unanimously denied a neighbor's appeal of that project at its Jan. 27 meeting, though a separate lawsuit challenging the approval remains pending.
The Wilkie Way project started in 2018 and, according to Aron, ran into pandemic shutdowns, rising interest rates, permitting delays and the 2023 storm season before being completed and sold at a loss.
