Cannes bust-up: JLL reviewing top retail broker Robert Gibson after brawl

Robert Gibson, a JLL vice-chairman who runs the brokerage’s Manhattan retail division, allegedly had to be restrained by restaurant employees following a tussle with a female guest as a Thor Equities party in Cannes was winding down last week, several attendees told The Real Deal.

Gibson was in town to attend MAPIC, Europe’s big retail conference. While at a party hosted by Thor at the restaurant Le Vesuvio on November 18, he got into a heated argument with Chealsy Choquette, a former sales director for Thor in Paris, according to sources who were present. A shouting match broke out between Gibson and Choquette, and sources said Gibson then addressed Choquette using a derogatory term used to refer to a woman.

During the dispute, Choquette picked up a glass and swung it at Gibson, who was gearing up to fight back before he was tackled by busboys and other restaurant employees, sources said, although the exact sequence of events remains unclear.

Gibson was dragged outside, “and was getting loud and boisterous,” one eyewitness to a portion of the events told The Real Deal.

Gibson, who moved to JLL from Cushman & Wakefield earlier this year, did not respond to a request for comment. JLL said it was looking into the incident.

“While we cannot address the details of this specific incident, JLL always seeks to operate at the highest levels of integrity and takes reported violations of its Code of Business Ethics very seriously,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. “We are gathering relevant information and will take appropriate action after our review.”

When reached for comment, a manager at Vesuvio said the night was uneventful and ended around 1 a.m. Choquette, who now works as a sales director at luxury bakery Ladurée, declined to comment through a spokesperson.