×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Sunday
15
Nov 2026
weather symbol
Athens 17°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by
> World

Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev’s lawsuit against Sotheby’s, alleging art fraud, is unsuccessful.

Among the artworks that were the subject of the trial was the Leonardo da Vinci painting “Salvator Mundi"

Newsroom January 31 06:16

Δείτε περισσότερα άρθρα μας στα αποτελέσματα αναζήτησης

Add Protothema.gr on Google

Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev on Tuesday lost a New York federal court lawsuit in which he had accused the Sotheby’s auction house of helping an art buyer defraud the oligarch by having him grossly overpay for various pieces of art.

A jury after several hours of deliberations found for Sotheby’s on all counts in Rybolovlev’s civil suit. The case related to more than $100 million in purchases the 57-year-old fertilizer magnate made through art buyer Yves Bouvier.

Bouvier for more than a decade had acted as the billionaire’s agent, helping him buy 38 masterworks for more than $2 billion.

Rybolovlev’s suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said he believed that Bouvier was conducting “hard-fought negotiations with sellers” on his behalf, when in reality, he was inflating the actual sales prices by nearly 100%.

The suit said Sotheby’s, as a broker for the transactions, helped Bouvier “justify the fraudulent prices he charged” Rybolovlev’s companies Accent Delight International Limited and Xitrans Finance Limited.

See Also:

The Top-20 under-construction big infrastructure projects in Greece in 2024

“It knew the actual prices Bouvier paid to the sellers and the fraudulently inflated prices Bouvier induced Plaintiffs to pay to him,” the suit said.

Among the four artworks that were the subject of the trial was the Leonardo da Vinci painting “Salvator Mundi,” which Bouvier purchased from Sotheby’s for $83 million only to sell it a day later to Rybolovlev for $127.5 million. Rybolovlev later sold the piece at an auction through Christie’s in 2017 for $450.3 million, a record price for a painting.

At trial, Sotheby’s lawyer Sara Shudofsky told jurors that Rybolovlev was “trying to make an innocent party pay for what somebody else did to him.”

>Related articles

Flights from Europe to the US suspended following FAA request

US flight chaos live: US airspace reopens after 4.5-hour shutdown as outdated system buckles under new upgrades – chaos continues, thousands stranded

Trump backs former Apple CEO Tim Cook to replace Jensen Huang at Nvidia

“Sotheby’s didn’t know anything about those lies,” Shudofsky said. “Sotheby’s had no knowledge of and didn’t participate in any misconduct.”

After the verdict on Tuesday in its favor, the auction house in a statement said the decision “reaffirms Sotheby’s long-standing commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and professionalism in all aspects of the art market.”

Continue here: CNBC

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#businessman#court case#new york#russia#sotheby's#US
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Mother and two daughters charged with felony arson after two firefighters die in Fyli blaze

November 15, 2026

Nvidia scandal sparks infighting in Trump administration as Commerce Secretary faces calls to resign

November 15, 2026

Rape victim Mia Latter breaks silence on Russell Brand relationship and calls for changes to UK consent laws

November 15, 2026

PM’S Sunday address: Heating allowance raised to €1,560, new cancer treatment, 23 trains and investment in satellite production

November 15, 2026

Temperatures fall across Greece as rain spreads to several regions, with thunderstorms expected tonight

November 15, 2026

Wall Street Journal: Greece is now Europe’s most fiscally responsible country after debt crisis

November 15, 2026

Athens Polytechnic anniversary 2026: Full list of road closures and traffic restrictions in the capital

November 15, 2026

Mother and teenage daughters arrested after deadly Athens fire kills two firefighters in Zephyri

November 15, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα