Assault allegations against Oren Alexander; prison time for a SoFla developer... and more

The best national real estate stories from The Real Deal Jun 15, 2024 [View in Browser]( | [$1 for 1 Month]( [The Real Deal Logo](   [The National Logo](   In this week’s newsletter, two explosive lawsuits [accuse]( a top real estate broker and his twin brother of rape. Plus, Charles Cohen [staves off foreclosure]( (for now), a South Florida developer gets a [prison sentence](, and LA’s [Measure ULA]( gets another day in court. These and more stories below.   Broker Oren Alexander, brother Alon accused of rape Last weekend, The Real Deal reported on two lawsuits [accusing]( top broker Oren Alexander and his twin brother, Alon, of raping at least two women in New York. The lawsuits are centered on two alleged assaults that occurred in 2010 and 2012, and claim the brothers have engaged in a similar pattern of behavior against other women over the years. The cases were filed under the Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily eliminated the statute of limitations for civil sexual assault claims in New York. In the following week we’ve closely followed the fallout from these lawsuits. The first story was published last Saturday. It was picked up by a myriad of other outlets, from other industry publications like Inman, Curbed and HousingWire to national outlets like the New York Post, the Daily Mail and Bloomberg. On Tuesday, Oren Alexander [stepped down]( from Official Partners, the brokerage he co-founded with his brother, Tal. Tal is not mentioned in the complaints. By Wednesday, [at least 28 more alleged victims]( raised similar allegations, according to the lawyer who filed the initial lawsuits. And on Thursday, sources told TRD that development firm JDS will be [replacing]( Official as the lead sales and marketing team on its [Dolce & Gabbana-branded condo]( in Miami in the coming days. The Alexanders’ attorney, Jim Ferraro of the Ferraro Law Firm, has denied the allegations and called the lawsuits a “shakedown.” Oren and Tal Alexander [rose to prominence]( as co-heads of the Alexander Team over a decade at Douglas Elliman before leaving in 2022. The team claims it has closed more than $7 billion in real estate sales in New York, South Florida, Aspen and other luxury markets. The Alexanders are the largest names in residential to face sexual assault allegations. In 2023 two eXp Realty agents were [accused]( of drugging and assaulting or attempting to assault four women between 2018 and 2020. The firm is now [battling multiple complaints](. CEO Glenn Sanford hasn’t commented publicly on the ongoing litigation. As far back as 2018, TRD has reported on the [culture of harassment]( in the industry, particularly in the commercial and development sectors. That story was written in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the popular emergence of the #MeToo movement. And a TRD investigation by senior reporter Katherine Kallergis unveiled how [weakly regulated]( the brokerage business is, even against professional misconduct. Kallergis details agents with “barely a blemish” on their records after having lawsuits decided against them. “Indeed, thousands of agents continue to work even after legally sufficient complaints about their conduct are filed,” she says. “In an industry that purports to run on trust between client and broker or among brokers on different sides of the table, the weak regulation acts like a black box that allows only insiders to know about and avoid bad actors.” If you have any information regarding the allegations above, write to Katherine Kallergis, Sheridan Wall and Ellen Cranley at kk@therealdeal.com, sheridan.wall@therealdeal.com, and ellen.cranley@therealdeal.com.   Together with Entrata The New American Dream [Entrata]( In the past, home ownership was considered a primary measure of whether or not someone had achieved the American dream. But that’s no longer the case. A recent survey of over 2,000 US renters shows a growing number of people are renters by choice, prioritizing flexibility and finding other ways to invest in themselves and their communities. This report outlines how priorities are shifting and what this new American dream means for both renters and property owners.   [I'm an image]( [Charles Cohen stops Fortress’ $548M foreclosure — for now]( A court paused the $534 million foreclosure filed by Fortress Investment Group against Charles Cohen’s debt-ridden firm. [I'm an image]( [Headed to the slammer: Developer Eric Sheppard gets 1.5-year prison sentence]( Developer Eric Sheppard will do some prison time for defrauding the federal government of $900,000 in Covid-19 relief funds. [I'm an image]( [Measure ULA gets another day in court]( Ninth Circuit judges will hear arguments about whether it qualifies as a “tax” or a “special fund.”   Advertisement   [I'm an image]( [Brand Studio Establishing a new Luxury Benchmark in Brickell]( [I'm an image]( [Diamond magnate Beny Steinmetz bought piece of Chicago office building amid bribery investigations and foreign court cases]( New investigation shows that diamond magnate invested in 500 North Michigan Avenue on the Magnificent Mile as to protect his assets from creditors and adversaries. [I'm an image]( [How would broker fee bill change NYC? Think Ticketmaster]( The New York City Council aims to lower the cost of renting, but regulating who pays rental brokers would not likely do that. [I'm an image]( [RFR slapped with $224M pre-foreclosure as overdue debts pile up]( Aby Rosen’s RFR Holding fielded a foreclosure filing on 522 Fifth Avenue days before the firm unloaded 980 Madison Avenue last week. [I'm an image]( [Brand Studio Chicago Developers Discuss Trends Shaping The Windy City](     [The Real Deal Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [Manage Newsletters]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Subscribe]( | [Advertise]( The Real Deal 450 West 31st Street, New York, NY 10001 ©2024 TheRealDeal. All rights reserved. [View Online](