Judge says Amazon owes NYC landlord as much as $21M
A New York City judge wants Amazon chief Jeff Bezos to pay up.
Amazon breached a letter-of-intent to lease a large space at the Durst Organization’s building in 2014, according to the New York Post.
Amazon must pay as much as $21.65 million to the landlord it left in the lurch.
Judge Jennifer G. Schecter set a Jan. 21 court date for Amazon and Durst to schedule a pre-trial conference in the case.
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“Amazon unquestionably breached the LOI,” Schechter wrote in a summary-judgement finding on Monday — while dismissing various other claims by both sides.
Durst and Amazon signed a an agreement for 310,000 square feet at Durst’s Sixth Ave. building.
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The July, 2014, letter didn’t obligate Amazon to sign a lease there, which would have been worth about $20 million, but Amazon couldn't negotiate with any other landlord until a decision was made about that space.
But even as it continued talking to Durst about the prospective deal’s fine points, Amazon carried on secret talks with rival landlord Vornado about 7 W. 34th St., where it signed a lease in September 2014.
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Durst sued Amazon for $25 million, including for $1.6 million the landlord spent to make the space suitable for Amazon’s needs.
Durst declined to comment. A rep for Amazon didn’t get back to the Post.