Weeks after asserting a nationwide enlargement, Serhant and his companions are going through a $10 million lawsuit and allegations of concocting a scheme to “loot” a Pennsylvania brokerage in an effort to broaden.
In these instances, double down — in your expertise, in your information, on you. Be a part of us Aug. 8-10 at Inman Join Las Vegas to lean into the shift and study from the most effective. Get your ticket now for the most effective value.
Weeks after asserting a nationwide brokerage enlargement, Ryan Serhant and his enterprise companions are going through a lawsuit and allegations of concocting a scheme to “loot” a Philadelphia-based brokerage of their efforts to broaden into Pennsylvania, in keeping with The Actual Deal.
Ryan Serhant | Credit score: SERHANT. Studios
The grievance filed in Philadelphia Commerce Court docket by Keller Williams Black Label and father or mother firm the Rental Store LLC accuses Serhant and his new Philadelphia crew lead, Andrea Desy Edrei, of “plundering its shoppers, mental property, confidential data and personnel, whereas crippling its means to function.”
SERHANT. representatives declined to touch upon the matter to Inman.
The businesses are in search of greater than $10 million in damages, plus punitive damages from Desy Edrei’s departure from Black Label with the intention to lead SERHANT.’s enlargement within the state. As well as, plaintiffs are in search of a preliminary injunction barring Serhant and Desy Edrei from utilizing proprietary data the brokerages declare was taken along with her departure, and a return of Black Label social media accounts that the corporations say have been “sabotaged.”
The grievance additionally names Michael Skokowski, Jr. and Kailey Bondiskey, Black Label’s former director of promoting and advertising coordinator, respectively, within the lawsuit, noting that Desy Edrei recruited the advertising workers to “be a part of the scheme.”
A number of defendants used Black Label’s proprietary advertising supplies to create supplies for Serhant months earlier than formally becoming a member of SERHANT., in keeping with the grievance, and “intentionally sabotaged Black Label’s social media accounts whereas claiming these accounts had been ‘hacked.’”
Andrea Desy Edrei | Credit score: LinkedIn
When it was introduced that Serhant can be partnering with the Societe Choose luxurious crew led by Edrei to launch in Pennsylvania, a number of brokers resigned, the grievance states, as others put forth funding to assist the brand new crew at SERHANT.
Plaintiffs additionally allege that after the crew was off the bottom at SERHANT., brokers took down numerous Black Label listings after which re-listed them with SERHANT. As well as, plaintiffs declare the defendants restored Black Label social media accounts as Societe Choose accounts, then locked Black Label out of the accounts.
Black Label additionally claims that defendants stole shopper contact and different data from databases, then wiped databases of that data.
Plaintiffs additionally spotlight within the grievance a advertising presentation ready in November 2022 for a brand new crew at SERHANT. known as “Societe + Serhant.” Compiled when Desy Edrei, Bondiskey and Skokowski have been nonetheless affiliated with Black Label, the grievance says the presentation names Black Label shoppers as “Choose VIP Purchasers” for the brand new crew, and makes use of data from Black Label’s advertising supplies.
The presentation particulars a timeline by which Desy Edrei, Bondiskey and Skokowski have been to finalize dealer and agent agreements with Serhant between November to December, in addition to open financial institution accounts and file LLCs and enterprise licenses. The presentation included a start-up contribution of $600,000 to SERHANT., in addition to the launch of a brand new workplace in January, and launch celebration with “Companion Ryan Serhant.”
Get Inman’s Luxurious Lens E-newsletter delivered proper to your inbox. A weekly deep dive into the largest information on the earth of high-end actual property delivered each Friday. Click on right here to subscribe.
E-mail Lillian Dickerson
