Cushman & Wakefield is hitting back weeks after former business partner JRT Realty accused the commercial giant of defamation and interference in business relations.
Cushman asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed earlier this month, according to the response reported by Crain’s. Cushman claimed its partnership with JRT ended due to a declining professional relationship, rather than a financial scheme concerning New York City’s commercial leases alleged in the lawsuit.
At the center of the dispute is Diana Boutross, who headed the city’s commercial real estate accounts. JRT alleged Jesse Hamilton, the deputy commissioner for real estate at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, pressured Cushman to put Boutross in charge of the company’s business dealings with the city.
Cushman decided in April to stop working with JRT on projects linked to the city’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services due to personal issues and shifting requirements. The brokerage acknowledged that Boutross told DCAS the separation was due to “performance issues” — which JRT labeled defamatory — but claimed it was a statement of opinion and later sent an email that omitted that phrasing.
“Cushman’s decision to not renew its strategic alliance with JRT was made after its original 20-year agreement expired and after the relationship had become strained due to JRT’s poor professionalism, responsiveness, communication, and organization,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The brokerage, which claims JRT’s lawsuit is designed to smear Cushman, is asking for its dismissal and attorneys’ fees.
Both firms have a contract with DCAS where they are supposed to share in commissions on leases between the city and private landlords; that contract is being evaluated for renewal.
Boutross is allegedly friends with Hamilton and Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Mayor Eric Adams’ former chief adviser at City Hall who resigned before being indicted on bribery charges related to other dealings. In September, prosecutors seized phones from Boutross, Lewis-Martin and Hamilton as they returned from a Japan trip.