×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Wednesday
11
Mar 2026
weather symbol
Athens 16°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> 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

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

Turkish teen charged in failed ISIS-inspired bomb attack during NYC pro-migration protest (video)

“Cuba will fall soon,” Trump says, claiming Havana wants a deal with the U.S.

Ankara approaches Europe and NATO

“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

2025 tax returns: Guidance for spouses, children, and legal heirs

March 11, 2026

Today the government measures, the hodgepodge and Pelegrino of PASOK, the balloon (of Maria) that is deflating, the crucial call of Aegean

March 11, 2026

Ursula von der Leyen: We all stand in solidarity with Cyprus, your security is our security

March 11, 2026

ExxonMobil clears institutional step to enter Ionian hydrocarbon exploration block

March 11, 2026

Mitsotakis to Tasoulas: Government imposes a cap on fuel and supermarket products (updated)

March 11, 2026

DESFA: Middle East developments do not impact Greek gas – Space for additional FSRUs

March 11, 2026

Vicky Safra, Thessaloniki-born woman is the richest Greek woman in the world with a fortune exceeding $27 billion

March 11, 2026

Klelia Andriolatou begins filming her first international movie: “I felt deeply moved”

March 11, 2026
All News

> Sports

Mitsotakis: Giannis Antetokounmpo was unanimously selected as one of the 20 personalities for the European Order of Merit

"Giannis embodies our common values: human dignity, equality, social inclusion", the Prime Minister said in a post

March 11, 2026

Lefteris Petrounias Wins Silver in the Rings Final at the Baku World Cup

March 7, 2026

Amazing Karalis in Paiania: He soared to 6.17 m and “smashed” the Greek national record (video)

February 28, 2026

Winter Olympic Games: Spectacular Closing Ceremony at the Arena of Verona – Watch the Video

February 23, 2026

Stunning national record by Greek athlete Roussou in the 1,500 metres

February 15, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα