Taylor Swift Sued By NYC Realtor: Lawsuit

TRIBECA, NY — Taylor Swift is being sued by her one-time realtor who accuses the singer of skipping out on a broker's fee when she bought a Tribeca townhouse last year.

The massive real estate company Douglas Elliman filed a lawsuit saying the pop star stiffed one of its brokers of his commission on the home at 153 Franklin St., which the star reportedly bought for $18 million.

In the lawsuit, Douglas Elliman says Swift and her team agreed to be represented by one of their agents but then cut him out of the deal, according to the suit. The Real Deal first reported on the suit against Swift.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday against three companies associated with Swift, said that the companies had given Douglas Elliman's real estate agent an "unambiguous written promise of sole right to represent" Swift in the purchase of 153 Franklin St.

Instead, the suit claims, Swift and her team moved forward with the purchase of the Tribeca home with another real estate broker from a different firm, who was paid the standard commission on the sale instead of Elliman's agent.

Elliman is suing for the full broker's fee on the property, which it estimated to be $1.08 million if the reported $18 million sale price of the property is accurate.

Patch was unable to contact any representatives for Swift or her companies for comment.

The lawsuit doesn't mention Swift by name, but notes three companies — Firefly Entertainment Inc., 13 Management LLC and Euro Tribeca LLC — all of which are associated with Swift. The "Bad Blood" singer has previously used the Euro Tribeca LLC to purchase properties.

Swift bought the townhouse at 153 Franklin St. in October. The star also owns a neighboring penthouse apartment at 155 Franklin St.

Swift's new home has a storied past. The 153 Franklin St. home was previously rented by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the financier who resigned as the International Monetary Fund's managing director in 2011 after he was accused of attempted rape.

The former head of the International Monetary Fund lived in the upscale townhouse in 2011 under strict house arrest after he was accused of assaulting a hotel maid at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan. The charges were ultimately dropped when prosecutors cited "credibility issues" with the maid who reported the assault. While under house arrest, Strauss-Kahn paid $60,000 a month to live in the high-end pad.

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