NEW YORK — Now they’re Even Steven.
Jerry Seinfeld has settled a Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit alleging the legendary comedian sold an “inauthentic” 1958 Porsche at auction for $1.5 million. The dispute became a legal pileup when Seinfeld brought claims against a California-based classic car dealer who sold him the rare ride.
The agreement in principle, revealed Wednesday in a Manhattan Federal Court filing, resolves the entire dispute. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The comic car lover sold the purported 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster at a March 11, 2016 auction on Amelia Island, Fla. dedicated to the “Jerry Seinfeld Collection” of cars.
The buyer was Fica Frio, a company connected to Carlos Monteverde, the son of Brazilian billionaire philanthropist Lily Safra.
Within a year of purchase, the company said it hired an appraiser who determined the Porsche wasn’t genuine. An expert who examined it for resale was troubled that the car’s history file lacked photographs of any restoration work, according to the company’s February 2019 lawsuit against Seinfeld.
Within a week of that suit being filed, the host of “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee” then raced to pin the blame on the car dealer, alleging that California-based European Collectibles assured him in writing the Porsche was the real deal.
“Mr. Seinfeld, who is a very successful comedian, does not need to supplement his income by building and selling counterfeit cars,” Seinfeld’s suit read.
Seinfeld‘s lawyer declined comment. Attorneys for Fica Frio — which means “chill out” in Portuguese — and the car dealer did not respond to inquiries.
Marketing material from the Seinfeld-themed auction described the “exceptionally rare” car as “among the finest restored examples of a highly sought-after four-cam Porsche,” according to Fica Frio’s complaint.
Seinfeld even allegedly apologized.
“(I want to) offer my apology for this nuisance and assure you that you will be completely indemnified in full and not have to keep the car and get all your money back,” Seinfeld told the company in a voicemail in June 2018, according to the lawsuit. “I did want to apologize to you personally for that happening.”
But Seinfeld did not pay up following the mea culpa, the suit claimed.
The 68-year-old comedian is an avid car collector. In his popular “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” web series Seinfield picks up famous comics — and sometimes presidents — in vintage vehicles and takes them to New York cafes and eateries.
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