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A Miami, Fla., homeowner who sold his $79 million mansion is suing a realtor for not disclosing the buyer was Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
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Leo Kryss, the co-founder of a toy an electronics company in Brazil, is suing realtor Douglas Elliman, whose CEO allegedly told the homeowner that Bezos was not the buyer of the 2.8-acre property, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Kryss had owned a seven-bedroom, 14-bathroom waterfront estate, which was known as the “billionaire bunker” due to previous tenants such as Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and Tom Brady. Kryss bought the property in 2014 for $28 million.
Last May, Kryss listed the estate for sale with a cool $85 million price tag. In June, Bezos bought a property next door — a three-bedroom, three-bathroom home — for $68 million. The Wall Street Journal reported Kryss later received a $79 million offer for his property.
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The homeowner asked the realtor whether Bezos was the one who had made the offer. The lawsuit alleges Douglas Elliman CEO Jay Parker phoned Kryss to tell him Bezos wasn’t the buyer and that the potential buyer wouldn’t agree above the $79 million asking price.
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The homeowner greenlit the deal and slashed the price tag by 7.1%. After the deal closed, Kryss reportedly learned the buyer was company linked to Bezos, the Journal reported.
Kryss claims reducing the asking price costed him nearly $6 million. The former homeowner said had he known Bezos was the buyer and had intended to buy a property next to one he already owned, he would not have cut the price.
According to the Journal, its common practice for realtors to shield the identities of rich buyers during the purchasing process because of concerns sellers will purposely inflate the price.
In the lawsuit, Kryss alleges that the property was being purchased for the family of the realtor who handled the sale, Celine Klepach.
Klepach, who allegedly took a commission from the sale, told The Wall Street Journal she wasn’t involved in the deal. The publication noted Klepach no longer works for Douglas Elliman.
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