restraining orders – Frankee Grove, a Venice renter, agreed to a roommate sublet with Sabrina Mollison in January 2025. Without a written lease, Grove says Mollison moved in, refused to leave after repeated demands, brought a dog she says was prohibited, and escalated tensions unt
Wildfires were beginning to swallow Los Angeles when Frankee Grove finally admitted to herself that she needed a roommate.. It was January 2025. and the 42-year-old—then living in a two-bedroom Spanish bungalow in Venice—had just ended a six-year relationship.. The rental, with its vegetable garden, hardwood floors, arched doorways, and terra-cotta roof, had started to feel like home.. But the $5,100 monthly rent was too much on her own, and a subletter was the only option.
Grove worked as a teacher with education experience and said she was also volunteering to help people affected by the wildfires burning in Pacific Palisades.. Still, she was bleeding cash.. When she turned to Facebook. she connected with a woman named Sabrina Mollison. whose online presence framed her as a fledgling SoCal fitness influencer posting Instagram reels and motivational captions.
The messages kept moving quickly.. On Fri, Jan 10 at 12:53 PM, Grove wrote to Mollison: “Hi Sabrina, it’s Frankee with the house for rent in Venice.. Just seeing if you have time to FaceTime.” Mollison replied: “Hey. I can chat around 2 if that works?” Grove agreed. then scheduled more calls—later confirming times around Jan 16 and Jan 17. when Mollison said she could move anytime.. Grove told her she wanted the room rented starting January 24. and that no one was coming to look at the house until midweek this week.
When Mollison toured the house. Grove said Mollison arrived in workout clothes with a thick layer of makeup and appeared underwhelmed.. Mollison offered to rent the room for Grove’s requested $2,200.. Grove told her there would be no lease paperwork—she “didn’t ask Mollison to sign any type of lease”—took a deposit. and told her she could move in during the last week of January.
From the start, Grove’s comfort with the arrangement was fraying.. Mollison arrived by Uber with her belongings in black trash bags.. Grove said she handed over the expectation of stability—and then watched the relationship wobble.. After Mollison settled in. Grove described Mollison giving her $670 in cash. with Mollison saying she would cover the rest by week’s end.
A few days later, Grove left for a three-day work trip to New Orleans.. When she returned, she noticed a dozen eggs and a bottle of wine were gone.. Grove approached Mollison carefully, calling her new roommate’s behavior out without confrontation.. “I realize we didn’t have a conversation about food and stuff in the kitchen. ” Grove told her. “and I prefer to keep our things separate.” Grove said Mollison answered with a “matter-of-factly” “Okay. ” using the same dejected tone Grove had noticed earlier.
For Grove, the missing groceries were only the beginning.. She later woke to find Mollison sleeping on the couch, presumably drunk.. Grove noticed bright red stains smeared across the cushions—Flamin’ Hot Cheetos—and said the sofa itself was a designer midcentury modern Cisco Home piece her ex-boyfriend bought for $6. 600 (plus delivery).. Grove took the covers to her local dry cleaner, which charged her over $300 to remove the Cheeto dust.
By the next day. Grove texted Mollison: “Hey Sabrina. we need to talk about this arrangement. when do you have time today or tomorrow to do so?. I’ll work around your schedule.” Mollison responded they could discuss it that day.. Grove called her 74-year-old godmother, Catherine Russo, before the conversation to figure out what to say.. Russo, Grove wrote, had always been protective and supportive of writing out a script.
Grove told Mollison the arrangement wasn’t working out and that Mollison had 30 days to vacate. Mollison replied “Okay,” again in a flat tone. Grove said she didn’t put anything in writing—believing two adults had reached an agreement.
Then the damage escalated.
A few days later, Grove came home to find a “humongous husky” in her living room.. Grove asked Mollison’s boyfriend, Anthony Jones, if the dog was his.. He said: “No. ” and that it was “Sabrina’s.” Grove said Mollison replied: “I got her from the shelter. ” and named her Luna.. Grove confronted Mollison again. telling her she couldn’t have the dog there and it needed to be taken out of the house.. Mollison responded: “Okay.” Grove said the dog stayed.
She also said Mollison began drinking more heavily. The following night, Grove described Mollison coming home in rage—screaming on the phone and stomping around the house—while Grove said she blocked her bedroom door with a bench, fearing Mollison would try to enter.
At this point, Grove’s suspicion shifted from anxiety to something closer to a plan. She said she turned to ChatGPT, asking what to do to evict a subtenant. The chatbot told her she needed to serve Mollison, in writing, with a formal 30-day notice to vacate.
Grove moved to formal steps.. On February 14th, she posted the notice on the front door and on Mollison’s bedroom door.. She said Mollison later came home on a phone call. read the notice aloud. and then—still unaware Grove was eavesdropping—warned Grove: “Bitch. I promise you before then. your life will be ruined.. You want to play games?. I promise you, to my core, I am going to ruin your life.”
Two days later, Grove installed security cameras in her home’s common areas, describing the act as invasive even as it felt like protection. She said the cameras were meant to document and deter. But within days, Grove found an application for a civil restraining order on her kitchen counter.
Mollison’s allegations, according to the packet’s cover page, shocked Grove.. Mollison accused Grove of “stalking. ” “yelling. ” and “threatening.” Grove said Mollison also claimed Grove told her she would “kill me and my dog. ” and that Mollison believed Grove had weapons and was afraid for her life in her own home.. The packet cover page said no restraining order was issued, but that a court date was set for March 13th, 2025.
After that, the relationship became a battle over evidence and space. Grove took photos of the application, returned it, and contacted Matty Cater, her ex-boyfriend. Grove said Cater was shocked at what had happened.
Tensions between Cater and Mollison rose quickly.. Grove described an incident in the kitchen where she asked Mollison and a friend to use coasters.. When Mollison stood up. drunk. Grove said Mollison told her: “Bitch. ” and said. “I’m going to fight you!” Grove then said she returned to her bedroom and told Cater what Mollison had said.. Cater told Mollison: “Ladies,” and “You need to leave.. You are drunk, and you need to leave the house.”
Text messages from early February capture the argument over the basics—dog rules. leaving dates. and whether Grove had authority to act.. On Thu, Feb 6 at 11:32 AM, Grove wrote about a potential roommate for March and apologized for confusing timing.. On Thu. Feb 13 at 11:43 AMSent message: Sabrina. she said Mollison had had the dog in her house and it was “all on the security cam footage.” She added: “I can’t trust you in my space. so I need you to move out this weekend.”
On Fri. Feb 14 at 9:41 AMSent message. Grove set a deadline: “Have all of your belongings out by Sunday. February 18.” She directed Mollison to clean common areas. leave keys on the kitchen counter. and confirm she’d received the message.. Mollison replied: “Your house!??!” and argued: “We both pay rent the same. it it both of our space.” She also said she needed “your landlords number” and wrote that she “have no rights to kick me out.”
Grove said cameras were installed visible in common areas on Sun, Feb 16 at 12:14 PM and that they would not record audio and would not cover private spaces like the bathroom. Mollison responded, Grove said, demanding immediate removal.
What followed was a back-and-forth where Grove claimed Mollison repeatedly removed cameras and Grove repeatedly demanded them back.. On Sun. Feb 23 at 2:14 PMSent message: “I need you to return my security camera today that you took on Saturday morning.” On Sun. Mar 2 at 2:40 PMSent message: “This is the second time you’ve removed my security cameras.. Please return them immediately.” On Thu. Mar 13 at 2:21 PMSent message: “I need to have all my bedding returned for personal use.” Grove later accused Mollison of leaving dirty sheets and said bedding needed dry cleaning covered in dog hair. with Grove stating a cleaning bill of $140 and asking for reimbursement of $210.
On Sat. Mar 15 at 11:35 AMSent message. Grove wrote that Mollison entered her bedroom without permission at approximately 6:30 AM and said this also happened on 3/1 and 3/2.. Grove added a “final reminder” that Mollison was “not allowed to enter my bedroom under any circumstances.” She also listed alleged damage in the backyard: outdoor lighting wire chewed through needing replacement ($40) and two plants destroyed ($30).. Grove said the bedding required dry cleaning and asked for reimbursement.
Then, Grove described a night that brought police to the scene.. In her account. at 2:18 AM on March 16. Mollison came home intoxicated. couldn’t open the front door. went around back. knocked over a full trash bin. and left the back gate wide open all night.. Grove said Mollison then “let five intoxicated individuals into the house. ” that they were loud. smoked indoors. engaged in illicit drug use. and created a major disturbance.. She said Mollison banged on her bedroom door and made a threat to Grove’s godmother.. Grove wrote that police arrived shortly after the guests left.
When Grove approached Cater to suggest calling police, she said she waited outside while officers arrived.. Jones arrived just before the cops showed up.. Grove said he asserted—confidently—that Mollison was on the lease. that this was her house too. and that Grove was the harasser.. Grove said it became he-said-she-said and the police admitted there was nothing they could do to solve the dispute.
The dispute didn’t end there.. Russo and Grove said they pushed forward with legal steps: vandalism documentation, police reports, and an attorney.. Grove also described her own mental toll during the period: appetite dropping. losing 10 pounds. making careless mistakes at work. and worrying about being fired.. She also said she obtained a prescription from her doctor for anti-anxiety medication and booked an appointment with a psychic. who told her: “She has evil and dark energy. ” and “You need to leave.” Grove said she told her landlord and planned to move out at the end of March.
In February, Grove’s godmother Russo planned to fly from Massachusetts to house-sit while Grove was in the Bahamas.. Grove described underestimating Mollison’s escalation.. By the second night. Russo said Mollison pushed her. screamed at her to “get the fuck out. ” and after Russo called police. officers came but didn’t arrest Mollison.. Grove said Mollison then went on a rampage—shoving bedroom furniture into the hallway and into Grove’s bedroom. smashing a pot holding a 10-foot-tall ficus tree so dirt spread across floors. and throwing two more plants into Grove’s bedroom so their pots shattered atop Grove’s white rug.. Russo filmed the destruction and sent the video to Grove.
After that. Grove initiated steps she hoped would get her out faster: she filed a police report for vandalism. notified her newly retained eviction attorney. and began a formal eviction lawsuit.. At one point. Grove described Anthony Jones telling Russo: “Let me tell you what’s going to happen… She’s going to get to live here for free for a long time.”
On March 19th, Los Angeles Police Department set a meeting to review Grove’s vandalism complaint with a detective assigned as Chris Choi. Grove and Russo walked him through the behavior. Grove said Choi seemed concerned and recommended Grove file her own restraining order as legal protection.
But the most consequential shift came the following day.. Grove described waking up to six police officers standing in her backyard at 12:01PM. asking: “Are you Frankee Grove?” and then telling her: “You’re under arrest.” Grove said Russo begged officers to let her go.. Grove said she asked what was going on and was told Mollison claimed she assaulted her.. Grove described being brought to a police station for a mugshot. fingerprints. and a holding cell—followed by a slip with a court date rather than a formal arraignment.
She said the pattern repeated the next day while she was staying at an Airbnb in Marina del Rey. Grove described a live feed from her security system pinging her phone, then hearing guns drawn as six police officers cleared the house room by room.
At that point. Grove said Mollison’s plan became clear in hindsight: Grove described a two-part scheme where Mollison first falsely claimed Grove assaulted her. leading to the first arrest.. Then Mollison went to the Santa Monica courthouse and filed for a domestic violence restraining order. claiming a romantic relationship and that Grove was abusive.. Grove wrote that the court granted the order, which required formal service—hence a paper bag delivered in the backyard.. Grove said once she was “served. ” Mollison claimed Grove violated the restraining order while being at the house. making her eligible for arrest again.
Grove also described what she believed was the involvement of Anthony Jones, writing that Grove and Russo suspected he was the brains behind the plan. She also noted Mollison did not respond to multiple requests for comment; Jones was unable to be reached.
While Grove framed it as a cruel irony. the facts she listed were procedural: Grove had a criminal defense attorney. her attorney Dawn Dunbar filed a motion for an emergency ex parte hearing. and the judge granted a carve-out so Grove could access her house.. Choi recommended vandalism and theft charges against Mollison. and Grove said the Los Angeles District Attorney could take at least a year to move due to being backed up.
Despite the criminal timeline, Grove described a legal turnaround. Dunbar called with news that the judge dissolved Mollison’s domestic violence restraint order outright. Grove said she felt she was on the verge of getting her life back.
Packing resumed, and Grove said that when movers arrived later that week, police were present for a civil standby.. Grove said the same officer who arrested her previously came to keep the peace.. She described officers entering Mollison’s bedroom to retrieve Grove’s items and said Grove finished packing without further confrontation.
Mollison ultimately left the house only after a formal eviction in June.. Grove said she went on a seven-hour drive to a friend’s house in Marin. then returned to Los Angeles for a court hearing about the dual restraining orders.. Grove said the judge dissolved Mollison’s restraining order and formally instated Grove’s for a three-year term.. Grove then focused on other pending matters: a battery charge against her that her side handled with a mitigation package. an eviction that was approved but delayed because lockouts required a three-month delay. and a small claims lawsuit for damage.
The small-claims suit required serving Mollison, and Grove said a process server couldn’t find her.. Grove decided to serve Mollison herself.. She arranged a Scrabble outing with a digital nomad friend in Venice and said that after a Waymo pulled up. Mollison stepped out wearing headphones and holding a can of beer.. Grove said her friend grabbed the paperwork; Mollison said, “I don’t live here,” and ran away.. With Mollison served, Grove’s small claims proceeded.
In June, Grove wrote that she returned to Los Angeles for her small claims court hearing.. Mollison did not show up, and Grove said the judge awarded her a $12,800 judgment.. A month later. Grove said the sheriff’s office arrived at the Venice house and officially evicted Mollison. who left without incident.
Grove said she tried to collect: first by filing a bank levy on Mollison’s account. but there were no funds to seize.. She said the Los Angeles District Attorney declined to prosecute Mollison. but the case was still under review with the Los Angeles City Attorney.. Grove also said she filed to garnish Mollison’s wages from Club Pilates in Marina del Rey. where Mollison worked. but Club Pilates owner Adela Sirbu called and said Grove had to fire Mollison for allegedly stealing socks. poaching clients. and coming to work drunk.
Grove wrote that during conversations with Sirbu, she stayed professional and matter-of-fact, sharing enough to relay trouble caused by Mollison. Grove said it was Sirbu who appeared more eager to talk, and the two commiserated. Sirbu then said: “I hope she ends up inprison.”
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