A dispute over the commission on the $57 million sale of a waterfront estate illustrates how agents lack protection, even when they are working with an owner they know well.
Broker Alyssa Morgan is suing her ex-husband, dental products mogul John Jansheski, after he allegedly cut her out of a deal to sell the Star Island mansion they once shared.
Morgan, of the Inside Network, spent a year and a half trying to sell the property at 27 Star Island Drive, years after the couple divorced amicably. She coordinated showings and even brought a higher-priced offer from the buyer who ultimately purchased the property. Jansheski refused it, a recently amended complaint alleges. He reportedly called the $70 million offer a “bottom feeder number.”
Months went by, and Morgan continued to try to sell the house, even after Jansheski terminated the listing agreement with Morgan and her brokerage. He allowed her to keep showing the home. And then he hired another broker, Douglas Elliman broker Dina Goldentayer, to take over the listing.
“I told you you are protected on this deal are you concerned about this particular deal?” Jansheski texted Morgan, according to an attachment to the complaint. She had arranged a showing in August and later brought Jansheski the final offer, which was more than $10 million less than the original bid.
Morgan had every reason to be concerned. That buyer, who had been represented by a top Compass agent, ended up purchasing the home in September 2023. But Morgan did not receive a commission.
Morgan sued last year, and she filed an amended lawsuit adding a claim of breach of oral contract after a judge dismissed her original complaint. The new claim is based on spoken promises Jansheski allegedly made. It’s not clear if the judge will also dismiss this lawsuit. But the dispute highlights how brokers are at the mercy of the people they represent. It also suggests that Goldentayer was given credit and a $1.1 million commission for a deal she had very little to do with. (Check out our recent profile of Goldentayer here.)
In a statement, Morgan said the lawsuit is “about maintaining high standards in our industry, giving credit where it’s due and all working together.”
What we’re thinking about: Are you involved in a commission dispute? Have you heard of any we should be covering? Send me a note at kk@therealdeal.com.
CLOSING TIME
Residential: The trust of the late Elaine Schuster sold the mansion at 101 Jungle Road in Palm Beach to a Wisconsin LLC named after the address for $42.5 million. Schuster was married to the late Jerry Schuster, a developer.
Commercial: Elliott Investment Management and Morning Calm Management completed their purchase of the office tower at 701 Brickell Avenue in Miami for $443 million, or $644 per square foot. Nuveen Real Estate sold the 33-story, 687,000-square-foot building. It marks one of the largest office deals in Florida’s history.
NEW TO THE MARKET
The waterfront mansion at 1460 North Lake Way in Palm Beach hit the market for $95 million, marking the priciest listing in the past two weeks. The 16,000-square-foot estate, with six bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, a soundproof guest apartment, a travertine pool and outdoor cabana, a 1,400-bottle wine cellar, marble bathrooms and a multimillion-dollar landscape package, is on the market with Margit Brandt of Premier Estate Properties.
A thing we’ve learned
Alligators are showing up in the most unexpected places following Hurricane Milton. Of course, that’s besides spotting them in streets that have been submerged in water. (Another reason to not wade or swim through that.) One gator was caught resting on a porch in Tampa; another tried to chomp on a tire of a vehicle driving through floodwaters.
Elsewhere in Florida
- At least 17 people died as a result of Hurricane Milton, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. That number, updated as of Friday evening, is expected to rise.
- Florida’s Department of Health sent cease-and-desist letters to at least two TV stations for running political ads that call for the repeal of the state’s six-week abortion ban, the Washington Post reports. On Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court rejected efforts to allow Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration from using government resources to fight the ballot measure, according to the Palm Beach Post.
A federal judge in Florida declined a request from civil rights groups to reopen Florida’s voter registration window that closed last week, CNN reports. The deadline was “sandwiched” between two deadly hurricanes, Helene and Milton, the advocates said.