Staten Island broker files suit against business partner — his father

A prominent commercial broker on Staten Island is suing his father and longtime business partner, alleging his old man took key documents and client records from their shared Tottenville office on New Year’s Eve to ease the launch of a new, separate brokerage business, the Staten Island Advance reported.

The $2 million suit was recently filed by Darren Smith, who, along with his father J. Delbert Smith, marketed high-profile sites like Lucent Technology’s former complex in Richmond Valley, the GATX industrial property in Bloomfield and the Showplace Center in Travis under the business JDSA Companies for more than 15 years.

“It’s a nightmare, not a nice scenario,” said J. Delbert Smith.

Despite the father-son relationship, the pair was so close that they became known as the “Smith Brothers.”

But the suit alleges the elder Smith formed an unnamed rival company after taking business and management records, contact lists, contracts, computers, office furniture and other items that night. Darren called the company’s data its “most critical asset.” [SILive]