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It’s not wise to get on the nerves of a group of the Manhattan’s wealthiest businessmen.
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Halstead Property’s senior broker Dorothy Somekh is being sued by Tiger 21, a powerful social networking group whose members are some of the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs. The club has accused Somekh of stealing its secret members list, in an attempt to sell them real estate, the New York Daily News reported.
At issue is a $45 million, Upper East Side townhouse which was once a home to actress Grace Kelly and singer Harry Belafonte. Located at 51 East 73rd St, the five story, double building is more than 100 years old and currently serves as office space with 20 units for rent. It has a total of 12, 000 square feet of floor space.
The building is 35 feet wide and said to be in need of about $10 million in repairs. A new owner could turn it back into a single family residence. Entrepreneur Steve Madden is said to be interested.
Somekh took it off the market in April.
The club maintains that Somekh pressured one of its employees into revealing the membership list to her, after which she bombarded the members with ads for the house.
Founded in 1999 by New York City entrepreneur Michael Sonnenfeldt, Club 21 was intended to provide a safe environment in which the super wealthy could talk about money and investing with their rich peers.
The club calls itself “North America’s premier peer-to-peer learning network for high net worth investors.” Tiger 21 members collectively manage approximately $20 billion in investable assets.
Members of Tiger 21 are required to have a minimum of $10 million in investable assets before they can join, and the average member is worth more than $75 million.
Dorothy Somekh began in real estate as manager of a small development firm, where she provided on-site oversight of the company’s fast-growing portfolio of residential rental properties. In 1980, Dorothy ventured into entrepreneurialism and founded Somek Realty Group Inc., a firm focused on property sales and rentals as well as real estate investments. She also served as member of the steering committee of the residential division of the Real Estate Board of New York.
Somekh joined Halstead Property, LLC on May 1, 2001, where she continues to specialize in condominium sales. At Halstead, she has been a member of the Producers Council and the Gold and Platinum Circle.
Founded in 1984, Halstead Property is one of the largest and most visible residential real estate brokerage firms in New York.