New accusers expanded the scope of claims against the Alexander brothers, suing former Douglas Elliman boss Howard Lorber.
A lawsuit filed Friday, one of a number of new complaints levied against one or more of the brothers, named Lorber, Elliman, Orly and Shlomy Alexander and the family’s Kent Security as defendants.
The complaint details unsettling claims that Lorber, Elliman’s longtime chief executive who resigned late last year, provided “money, resources and corporate cover” to sexually abuse, assault, batter and rape women in New York City and the Hamptons. The brothers’ attorneys have denied the allegations and called the lawsuits money-driven.
The Alexanders are heading to trial in two criminal cases brought by authorities in December. The Southern District of New York charged Oren, Tal and Alon with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking. Oren, Alon and Ohad Fisherman, a family friend, were charged by the Miami-Dade State Attorney with sexual battery, in a separate state case. Oren and Alon could be transferred back to Miami for the latter trial, which may start as early as May, an assistant state attorney said at a hearing last week.
The latest lawsuits were filed last week ahead of the window closing in New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law. Many of the New York-based lawsuits so far were filed by the city’s GMVA, which allowed victims of gender-based attacks to sue their alleged offenders regardless of when the incident occurred. It expired on Friday.
More than two dozen civil lawsuits have been filed against one or more of the brothers since last year.
The complaint that includes the parents, Elliman and Kent Security brings attention back to Lorber and the question that most people ask me. How did this (allegedly) go on for so long? If these allegations, which date back to when the brothers were in high school, are true, who helped them?
Also, don’t forget that Alon helped run Kent Security, which handles private security for luxury homes, condo buildings, wealthy neighborhoods and more. Kent helped Alon facilitate and cover up sexual assaults, and the company failed to investigate or respond in any meaningful way to Alon’s sexual abuse, the lawsuit alleges.
Lorber’s sudden departure was the result of an investigation into Elliman’s work culture, in which he admitted to having intimate relationships with agents at the company. The imbalance of power, regardless of whether a relationship is consensual, is incredibly important to consider. And Lorber had a lot of power. He was known to refer top clients to his preferred agents, including Oren and Tal.
What we’re thinking about: Model Karolina Kurkova and her husband, broker and actor Archie Drury, sued the ritzy Fisher Island Club, alleging they were targeted by board members and driven off the island. I’m hearing there’s more to the story. Do you have any information? Send me a note at kk@therealdeal.com.
Special thanks to Kate Hinsche for writing the rest of this newsletter!
CLOSING TIME
Residential: A Delaware LLC sold the house at 11432 Turtle Beach Road for $31.9 million, a record price for the gated Lost Tree Village community in North Palm Beach. A trust purchased the 7,800-square-foot, five-bedroom house.
Commercial: FCP paid $90 million for a 400-unit apartment complex in Sunrise. PCCP and RMR Group sold the Arium Sunrise complex at 1501 Northwest 124th Terrace for about $225,000 per unit. The buyer borrowed a $74 million floating-rate loan from Wells Fargo that matures in 2027, records show.
NEW TO THE MARKET
Trump appointee Jacob Helberg and his husband, venture capitalist Keith Rabois, are shopping their waterfront Venetian Islands mansion for $65 million. They paid $29 million for the property at 1429 North Venetian Way in 2020, following a flurry of Silicon Valley moguls relocating to Miami Beach. It’s on the market with the Corcoran Group’s Julian Johnston. Helberg and Rabois run in high-profile tech circles. Rabois is a member of the “PayPal Mafia,” the moniker used by the group of PayPal’s early founders, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman officiated their 2018 wedding, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A thing we’ve learned
Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez is taking an all-female celebrity crew on a Blue Origin spaceflight. Katy Perry, CBS anchor Gayle King, film producer Kerieanne Flynn and scientists Aisha Bowe and Amanda Nguyen will join Sanchez aboard the rocket, which does not yet have a launch date, according to the Associated Press.
Elsewhere in Florida
- Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Christian Tate landed at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport Thursday morning, ABC reports. The brothers spent years confined to Romania, where they face charges of sex trafficking. They also were accused of sexual assault in the United Kingdom. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Tate brothers are not welcome in the Sunshine State. The brothers deny the allegations.
- A federal judge is considering whether he’ll block a new Florida law that bans social media for young teenagers, telling lawyers in the case that it would be a “hard row to hoe,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said his decision may come in March.