Weeks after saying a nationwide enlargement, Serhant and his companions are dealing with a $10 million lawsuit and allegations of concocting a scheme to “loot” a Pennsylvania brokerage in an effort to increase.
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Weeks after saying a nationwide brokerage enlargement, Ryan Serhant and his enterprise companions are dealing with a lawsuit and allegations of concocting a scheme to “loot” a Philadelphia-based brokerage of their efforts to increase into Pennsylvania, in response to The Actual Deal.
Ryan Serhant | Credit score: SERHANT. Studios
The grievance filed in Philadelphia Commerce Court docket by Keller Williams Black Label and mum or dad firm the Apartment Store LLC accuses Serhant and his new Philadelphia workforce lead, Andrea Desy Edrei, of “plundering its shoppers, mental property, confidential data and personnel, whereas crippling its capability 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 together 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 selling and advertising coordinator, respectively, within the lawsuit, noting that Desy Edrei recruited the advertising workers to “be 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 response to 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 could be partnering with the Societe Choose luxurious workforce led by Edrei to launch in Pennsylvania, a number of brokers resigned, the grievance states, as others put forth funding to help the brand new workforce at SERHANT.
Plaintiffs additionally allege that after the workforce 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 workforce at SERHANT. referred to 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 Shoppers” for the brand new workforce, and makes use of data from Black Label’s advertising supplies.
The presentation particulars a timeline wherein 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 social gathering with “Associate Ryan Serhant.”
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E-mail Lillian Dickerson
