A lawsuit has been filed against Jerry Seinfeld by a company who claim they bought a classic Porsche from the comedian for $1.5m (£1.1m) only to discover it was a fake.
Court documents say representatives for Fica Frio paid $1.54 million at a Florida auction in March 2016, the price including a 10 per cent commission.
However, the firm, based in the Channel Islands, claim the car is not authentic, despite the auction summery claiming the 1958 vehicle was a “stunning example of a rare thoroughbred Porsche”.
The lawsuit says Seinfeld – a car enthusiast best know for the TV show Seinfeld – left a voicemail in June last year offering “my apology for this nuisance and assure you that you will be completely indemnified.”
The comic apparently added that he “would love to know how your guys figured it out because I find that to be interesting cause that’s impressive my guys did not I guess see anything amiss with the car when I bought it.”
According to the lawsuit, Seinfeld broke an oral agreement to return the money in exchange for the car.
Orin Snyder, Seinfeld’s lawyer, said the comedian had not meant to mislead the company and acted in good faith.
“He has asked Fica Frio for evidence to substantiate the allegations. Fica Frio ignored Jerry and instead filed this frivolous lawsuit,” Snyder said in a statement.
The lawyer added that the comedian was “willing to do what’s right and fair, and we are confident the court will support the need for an outside evaluator to examine the provenance of the car”.
