From remaining: Steve Witkoff, Armando Codina, R. Donahue Peebles, Grant Cardone, Jorge Perez, Stephen Ross, and Alex Sapir (Getty, YouTube)
Shell out up! Pay up! Fork out up!
That was a recurring theme for distinguished South Florida genuine estate players feeling the sting of the judicial process in 2022.
During the previous year, Miami-Dade Circuit Court judges in individual cases slapped developers Armando Codina and Don Peebles, as effectively as hoteliers Nakash brothers, with significant judgments and sanctions totaling a lot more than $25 million.
Aventura-based multifamily trader Grant Cardone desires New York billionaire Stephen Ross to reimburse him for a luxurious view well worth $750,000 that was allegedly stolen throughout the Miami Grand Prix at Hardrock stadium before this calendar year.
A previous DLP Capital worker is demanding his ex-employer fork out him for $21.7 million in allegedly owed gains attained on genuine estate promotions. And buyers who bought a West Palm Seaside improvement website to Jorge Pérez’s Associated Group declare they were being jilted out of $13 million.
Right here are the 10 juiciest South Florida lawsuits reported by The True Offer in 2022:
$17 million judgment from Nakashes
In November, Miami-Dade Circuit Court docket Decide Valerie Manno Schurr requested the Nakash family members, New York-primarily based hoteliers who very own the Resort Breakwater in Miami Seaside, to fork around $17.4 million in punitive damages and $2.1 million in legal professional expenses to the property’s restaurant tenant.
In a wild set-up to establish fabricated evidence from Ocean’s 10 cafe operators Catherine and Anthony Arrighi, a private investigator pretended to be a guest and submitted bogus sound complaints with the town, according to Schurr’s order. Less than oath, the hotel’s normal supervisor Salem Mounayyer unapologetically admitted to using the services of the private eye.
Schurr dominated in favor of Ocean’s 10 house owners, who in 2020 sued the Nakash relatives affiliate that owns the Artwork Deco resort at 940 Ocean Drive. The Arrighis alleged Lodge Breakwater breached their lease arrangement through an unlawful harassment marketing campaign by Mounayyer.
Miami Layout District woes for Restoration Hardware
A text Restoration Hardware CEO Gary Friedman sent Miami Beach front-based mostly retail developer Michael Comras previous 12 months summed up the large-conclusion household furniture retailer’s frustrations seeking to open up a flagship retail store in the Miami Layout District:
“You’ve got very good income move, no money investment decision, no f*cking about with a bunch of buckethead tenants with many leases, and an anchor tenant that provides you a much improved chance of leasing the other space.”
The text was among many messages that have been hooked up to a Miami-Dade civil lawsuit Restoration Hardware filed in January from Comras and Apollo Commercial True Estate. The even now pending accommodate alleged they are stonewalling its plans and attempting to blow up the lease for eight houses the associates possess in the arts, dining and luxurious retail neighborhood.
Restoration Components was intended to open at the end of past year immediately after signing a four-calendar year offer with gross annual lease starting at $1.6 million, which the company promises it began spending in November.
Grant Cardone vs. Stephen Ross
A group of unknown burglars allegedly made a distraction in the VIP spot of the Miami Grand Prix last year so they could jack a Richard Mille view Cardone was donning, according to a lawsuit the Aventura-primarily based multifamily trader submitted in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in October. The Method 1 race was held in May perhaps at Difficult Rock Stadium, which is owned by billionaire New York developer Stephen Ross.
Cardone is trying to find reimbursement for the luxurious timepiece valued at $750,000, the grievance states. He is suing the stadium, Method One’s father or mother Liberty Media, Naples-centered racing promoter Florida Motorsports and Cincinnati-based mostly Whelan Event Companies.
On his social media accounts, Cardone occasionally demonstrates off his 6-determine watches to his followers as portion of his audacious shows of particular prosperity.
He claims the robbers had obtain to the VIP parts exactly where he and other large-profile visitors and stars “were inspired to carry substantial funds and sport the most expensive jewellery in the planet.”
The complaint is pending.
Alex Sapir’s wife seeks out of loveless marriage
For Alex and Yanina Sapir, “money has been no item,” according to a divorce complaint submitted in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. During 12 several years of marriage, the couple traveled the world, owned various boats, lived in a waterfront Miami Seaside mansion and attended various Burning Gentleman festivals.
But alas, it was not enough. In April, Yanina Sapir filed the dissolution of marriage petition for the reason that she “can no more time continue to be in such a loveless connection.” She is looking for boy or girl support for their two minor little ones, alimony and an equitable distribution of their property, like their Venetian Islands property, which is at present outlined for $13.9 million.
Alex Sapir, who heads New York-primarily based the Sapir Firm and Sapir Corp, should really assist their two insignificant young children “based on his significant earnings” and his potential to give the children “with the lifestyle relished by the functions for the duration of the system of the intact relationship,” the grievance states.
Contractor wins $8M judgment from Codina Partners affiliate
Through its 42-yr historical past, Codina Associates has kept a mostly clear report averting construction lawsuits. Other than for just one Fort Lauderdale normal contractor that Codina unjustly fired two a long time in the past, in accordance to Miami-Dade Circuit Court docket Choose William Thomas.
In September, Thomas ruled a Codina affiliate will have to fork out Grycon $7.8 million in damages for wrongfully terminating the construction business that crafted the developer’s 5350 Park condominium project in the mixed-use local community, Downtown Doral.
Led by Armando Codina and his daughter Ana-Marie Codina Barlick, Codina fired Grycon the exact same working day 5350 Park received its certificate of occupancy in Could 2020. Grycon filed its lawsuit later that same year.
The design business alleges Codina was trying to skip out on a closing invoice of $4.1 million. Codina appealed Thomas’ ruling and has a pending countersuit in opposition to Grycon.
Ex-DLP employee seeks $21M in gains
When it arrived to executing DLP Capital’s small business design, the St. Augustine-based mostly real estate business turned to Anthony Ruben.
Now Ruben is in search of $21.7 million in damages against DLP and business operator Don Wenner soon after his ex-employer allegedly fired him right before paying him his share of the revenue from authentic estate bargains he designed, in accordance to a lawsuit submitted in Miami-Dade Circuit Court docket in January.
In addition to a $160,000 income, Ruben was intended to earn bonuses tied to acquisitions, profits and debt placement for true estate bargains that he and the organization introduced in, the pending grievance states.
DLP agreed to pay back him charges ranging from 2.5 % to 20 % on promotions which he led and was associated in, Ruben alleges. For instance, Ruben claims he is owed about $240,000 on a $1.2 million revenue share from the sale of a property DLP bought in 2019.
Shore Club deal is a “crooked and secretive land grab”
Steven Witkoff, who heads his eponymous New York-centered company, “appears to have hatched and orchestrated a scheme” to muscle out a previous proprietor of the Shore Club lodge in Miami Seashore, according to a pending lawsuit in New York filed in July.
The Clark Estates, the spouse and children of the late newspaper publisher and businessman Stephen Carlton Clark, is trying to get at the very least $125 million in damages. Clark alleges the family members was illegally cut out of its ownership share in the oceanfront residence at 1901 Collins Avenue by way of a “crooked and secretive land get.”
In 2020, Witkoff and Monroe Funds acquired the Shore Club and are moving forward with designs to renovate and redevelop the Art Deco complicated into a apartment-hotel underneath the Auberge model. The historic lodge was designed in 1939, redesigned in the early 2000s and has been shut because the onset of the pandemic.
A Clark family members affiliate co-owned the property with HFZ Capital and Fortress, and the partnership had planned to redevelop the Shore Club, but the job fell aside when the apartment market place slowed in 2018. Clark accuses Witkoff and Monroe of violating the financial gain participation arrangement that was set in put to safeguard the family’s stake.
Peebles hit with $1M in courtroom sanctions in Bath Club dispute
In Oct, Miami-Dade Circuit Courtroom Decide Michael Hanzman denied a next try by developer R. Donahue Peebles to avoid spending $1 million in sanctions. Peebles’ entity, Bath Club Leisure, sought a rehearing just after an appeals court docket denied its petition to overrule Hanzman’s buy last 12 months penalizing the developer in an ongoing lawful war tied to the Tub Club in Miami Seaside.
Bathtub Club Enjoyment allegedly unsuccessful to give outdoor foods and beverage products and services to rental homeowners or restore and maintain the property’s cabanas at the stage of a environment-course resort, according to lawsuits submitted by the condominium and routine maintenance associations for The Residences at the Bath Club. Peebles renovated the historic non-public club and produced the adjacent 118-device condominium at 5937 Collins Avenue.
In an e-mail, Peebles mentioned the $1 million in sanctions signifies a portion of the amounts Bathtub Club Entertainment has received versus the associations. He explained the boards of directors are preserving device proprietors in the darkish about the associations’ courtroom losses, reminding him of “a propaganda-pushed dictatorship.”
Buyers sue Relevant Team above West Palm Seashore offer
A trio of buyers allege they ended up cheated out of approximately $13 million in a West Palm Beach front land offer involving Jorge Pérez’s Relevant Group. In April, Stephen and Louise Kornfeld, and Jody Weissman sued two Relevant affiliate marketers in Miami-Dade Circuit Court docket.
Weissman and the Kornfelds bought the waterfront web site at 4334 North Flagler Drive to Connected in 2005, documents display. The developer plans to make two 24-story towers with 399 units. When Associated took more than the site, the agency compensated off the sellers’ $3.4 million mortgage loan. The developer also created a partial dollars payment to the sellers, and agreed to give them a slice of long run funds movement created by revenue of the apartment units, the lawsuit states.
The buyers accuse Linked of fraudulently transferring its belongings from 1 growth entity to an additional affiliate to keep away from shelling out them.
Florida High-class Properties sues former co-proprietor
When Julie Jones bailed on the Fort Lauderdale brokerage she co-owns to be a part of Douglas Elliman as an agent, she took millions of bucks truly worth of luxury home listings with her, according to a lawsuit submitted in August in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
Jones has a 55 per cent stake in Florida Lavish Homes, the firm suing her. The lawsuit is pending.
Jones flipped brokerages in June, 3 months right after a slipping out with Benjamin Olive, then-co-supervisor of Florida Luxurious Homes. The pair had a dispute about her revenue distributions and other funds she alleges she is owed, the lawsuit states. She retained her co-possession of Florida Luxurious even nevertheless she transferred her broker’s license to Elliman.
