Miami retail broker sues over life insurance policy of late husband

Sharon Dresser is alleging her husband’s ex-business partner cheated her out of $2M policy

Steven Lee Cantor and Sharon Dresser (Credit: High Street Retail USA)
Steven Lee Cantor and Sharon Dresser (Credit: High Street Retail USA)

Miami commercial broker Sharon Dresser is suing her late husband’s business partner, alleging he cheated her out of a $2 million insurance policy.

Dresser’s husband, prominent international tax and real estate attorney Steven Lee Cantor, committed suicide in October 2016. Dresser, broker and owner of High Street Retail USA, is alleging that Hal J. Webb, Cantor’s former partner, failed to transfer ownership of a $2 million life insurance policy at the time of Webb’s resignation, according to the Miami Herald. Months later, a few days before Cantor committed suicide, Webb emailed an executive at the Cantor Group that “Cantor might not be in the right state of mind.”

According to the lawsuit, Webb pushed a grief-stricken Dresser to sign a settlement agreement in November, letting him keep $212,500 that was mistakenly distributed to him – which allegedly contributed to the firm’s financial demise. By signing the agreement, Dresser released Webb from all claims.

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Webb also requested and received a copy of Cantor’s death certificate before Dresser.

“Webb knew that should Cantor die in the near future, Webb stood to financially benefit from his death. Webb purposely delayed and avoided transferring the key man policy to The Cantor Group with this morbid aspiration in mind,” according to the lawsuit.

Webb, who resigned from the firm formerly known as Cantor & Webb in June 2016, now leads Bilzin Sumberg’s private wealth services group. Bilzin acquired the Cantor Group. [Miami Herald] – Katherine Kallergis