A White Plains law firm claims that a former client has refused to pay $355,000 in fees despite winning the client a $3.2 million court judgment.
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott accused Jacob Frydman, of Hyde Park, of breaching an agreement to represent him and his firm, United Realty Advisors, in a 2014 racketeering case he brought in federal court.
Two years ago, according to the complaint filed on Nov. 15 in Westchester Supreme Court, Frydman had declared in federal court “that the rates, hours, and expenses incurred by Eckert Seamans were reasonable and necessary, and they obtained a successful verdict at trial on my behalf.”
Frydman has described himself as an East Coast real estate investor who has worked on transactions worth more than $2 billion. He was CEO of United Realty Advisors in Manhattan.
In 2014, he sued a former partner, two company executives and a consultant for $150 million, claiming that they had conspired to seize control of the firm’s computer system to derail a $1 billion public offering of United Realty stock.
Eckert Seamans was the fourth law firm that Frydman hired. He engaged the firm in 2022 as the case was about to go to trial in Manhattan federal court. He agreed to pay $450 an hour, according to court records, and to pay monthly invoices within 30 days.
The jury awarded Frydman and United Realty $2.1 million, on charges of computer hacking, misappropriation of trade secrets, racketeering and more. The final judgment, including interest, was $3.2 million.
The law firm billed Frydman for $505,336 on 15 monthly invoices. He paid $150,105, the complaint states, leaving a balance of $355,231.
Eckert Seamans has been trying to collect the rest for more than a year-and-a-half, according to the complaint, sending 16 emails to Frydman. He never objected to the bills, but usually did not reply to the messages.
Frydman did reply to a March 2024 email, allegedly stating, “I was hoping to sell my house this month and pay you from the proceeds. … Our plan was if the house was sold I would pay then, and if not, then it would be paid within six months.”
The house in question is a 14,800-square-foot limestone and glass structure that is part of a 10.6-acre estate along the Hudson River. It includes a sculpture garden, helicopter pad, salt-water pool and indoor pool, staff apartment, and separate guest house.
Frydman priced the property at $45 million when he put it on the market in 2022. The price was dropped several times, according to online real estate listings, and as recently at this past June, to $14.5 million.
On Sept. 6, the house sold for $11,148,750.
On Sept. 30, Eckert Seamans emailed Frydman and demanded payment for the unpaid invoices, according to the complaint, but “no payment has been made.”
