NEW YORK, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --Judge John G. Koeltl, US District Judge in New York Federal Court, dismissed all claims on Monday against Concierge Auctions, a luxury real estate auction company based in New York, after determining that the various allegations of misconduct instigated by a competitor, Grand Estates Auction Company, were completely unsupported by the facts.
The judge's decision was a total victory for Concierge Auctions, which had maintained from the beginning that the lawsuit was a desperate attempt by a failing competitor to damage Concierge's hard-won reputation in the luxury real estate market.
"Grand Estates initiated this attack, hoping bad publicity would drive business from our company to theirs," said Laura Brady, President of Concierge Auctions. "It was an underhanded tactic, and it backfired."
"The court's dismissal was a recognition of this lawsuit for the sham that it was," said Robert Wolf, lead attorney for Concierge Auctions. "Putting legal jargon aside, Grand Estates was grasping at straws, and they came up empty-handed."
Grand Estates Auction Company had enlisted two former clients of Concierge Auctions to join Grand Estates in March of 2013 in a complaint against Concierge in New York. Concierge maintains that the New York lawsuit was filed in retaliation for of a lawsuit previously filed by Concierge against Grand Estates in Florida for "defamation and tortious interference with contract." The Florida lawsuit is still pending.
"We are proud of the reputation we have earned for honest, transparent and straight-forward business practices," said Mike Russo, Concierge's Chief Operating Officer. "And we will take decisive action to defend that reputation against anyone who tries to slander our name."
Founded in 2008, Concierge Auctions has become the dominant player in the luxury real estate auctions sector. Concierge succeeded in selling $194 million worth of residential properties last year at an average price of $5.4 million, which represented an increase in sales of 36 percent over the previous year's impressive $143 million.
SOURCE Concierge Auctions
