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New York Post
NYC judge dismisses claims related to real estate heirs’ battle over $2B fortune
By Deirdre Bardolf, Kathianne Boniello,
7 hours ago
A real-life “Succession” drama has taken a turn after a Manhattan judge threw out claims that the daughter and grandson of a real estate mogul who once owned the Chrysler building had been low-balled for their share of the family’s $2 billion fortune.
Amy Goldman, 70, a big-time Democratic donor, and her nephew, Steven Gurney Goldman, sued Amy’s sister, Jane, and Sol Goldman Investments in November, claiming Jane manipulated a contractually mandated appraisal process for their shares, causing them to be short-changed.
Sol Goldman, with his youngest daughter, Jane, before he passed away in 1987. Jane has since taken over the daily operations of his real estate empire.
A Manhattan Supreme Court judge ruled Aug. 9 that the company couldn’t have breached its contract — because the business itself was not actually a party to the deal.
“The court was hard pressed to find a single case where a court allowed a claim for breach of contract to proceed against a non-signatory entity,” the judge stated in the ruling.
“After decades of being content to enjoy the benefits of [Jane Goldman’s] leadership and from the business, they turned around to say, ‘No, we’re not happy with that,’” SGI attorney David Elsberg told The Post.
The judge dismissed all claims against defendant SGI, but didn’t rule on other claims in the original litigation, including one alleging improper management.
Sara Arno and NYRP Spring Picnic Honoree Amy Goldman Fowler at the New York Restoration Project Spring Picnic at the New York Botanical Garden on June 19, 2019 in New York City Getty Images for New York Restoration Project
Judge Melissa Crane described the original complaint as “three lawsuits” in one, according to the ruling, and found that some of the allegations belong in Surrogate’s Court.
“We are pleased that the Court sustained our claims against Jane Goldman for her unlawful and improper attempts to exercise autocratic control over Solil and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the SGI appraisal,” Ryan Rakower, Steven’s attorney, said in a statement to The Post.
Steven Gurney Goldman joined with his aunt, Amy Goldman Fowler, to sue over management of the $2 billion family business. Linkedin Steven Gurney-Goldman
“We intend to pursue the appraisal-related claims against the individuals responsible for the misconduct, and look forward to bringing our trust and estate-related claims against Ms. Goldman to the Surrogate’s Court,” he added.
After their father’s death, Jane helmed the family business and shared ownership with Diane, Amy and their brother Allan. When Allan died in 2022 , his son, Steven, 31, tried to gain more control, but Jane resisted.
“In what is best described as a real-life parallel to the television show ‘Succession’ … Jane Goldman has engaged in a brazen and illegal scheme to wrest control of the largest privately owned real estate empire in New York City from her family members,” Amy and Steven claimed in court papers.
Sol Goldman’s empire was the largest private real estate portfolio in the city at the time of his death.
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