By Suzanna Neal and the Center for Art Law Team
On January 30th, 2024, the trial of Accent Delight International Ltd. (Accent Delight), an offshore company with Dmitry Rybolovlev as the ultimate beneficial owner, v. Sotheby’s, an international auction house, was put to rest after the jury decided in favor of Sotheby’s. Specifically the jury found that the auction house was not responsible for aiding Yves Bouvier, a Swiss art dealer, in defrauding Rybolovlev of millions of dollars.
Starting on January 9th, the parties pleaded their case revolving around the decade-long legal battle between Bouvier and Rybolovlev, and Sotheby’s alleged involvement. However, this time, Bouvier was not a defendant in this case. Instead, Rybolovlev summoned Sotheby’s into court on the theory that the auction house aided Bouvier in defrauding his client out of hundreds of millions of dollars. The three-week trial offered an informative glimpse into opaque art market dealings, duties of agents, and relationships between the leading private sellers and buyers.
I. BACKGROUND AND KEY PLAYERS
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