One Sotheby’s Sues JDS Over Unpaid 888 Brickell Commissions

One Sotheby’s International Realty is suing the JDS Development Group affiliate behind the Dolce & Gabbana-branded condo tower in Brickell, adding to JDS’ legal woes.

Miami-based One Sotheby’s is seeking more than $500,000 in allegedly unpaid commissions, expense reimbursements, marketing fees and other costs the brokerage has incurred while selling the project, according to a lawsuit filed this week.

JDS, led by Michael Stern, plans a 1,049-foot supertall condo-hotel tower with 250 units on the site at 888 Brickell Avenue in Miami. The JDS affiliate, 888 Brickell Owner, hired One Sotheby’s to lead sales and marketing of the development nearly two years ago. The firm took over from Official, the former brokerage led by recently convicted sex traffickers Oren and Tal Alexander.

The building would mark Dolce & Gabbana’s first residential tower. It’s one of two developments Stern’s JDS is working on in Brickell. Nearby, the developer plans Mercedes-Benz Places, which is tied up in foreclosure litigation with the lender, Cottonwood Group.

At 888 Brickell, One Sotheby’s signed a contract with the developer in July 2024, and “deployed an experienced sales team,” established and maintained the sales center, marketed the project and secured contracts for 36 units at the project, according to the complaint. A source told The Real Deal earlier this year that the building has secured about $350 million in presales.

The condo-hotel tower is also expected to include two lobby bars and a pool club, an indoor padel court, golf simulator, yoga and Pilates studio, a spa, theater, lounge and lap pool. 888 Brickell is being designed by Studio Sofield with interiors by M2Atelier.

The brokerage, led by Daniel de la Vega and Mayi de la Vega, is seeking unpaid commissions totaling over $246,544 on 14 contracts, salary draws and expense reimbursements of $157,880, marking fees of $72,000 and additional costs, for a total of about $522,000, according to the complaint.

JDS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One Sotheby’s provided the JDS affiliate with formal notice on April 7, demanding payment by April 22. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, unjust enrichment and quantum meruit. The latter count would allow One Sotheby’s to recover the reasonable value of services rendered or goods provided, even if there was no contract in place.

JDS paid $61.2 million for the half-acre development site in the spring of 2024, financing the deal with a $35.7 million loan from G4 Capital Partners. The developer was reportedly in the process of securing construction financing, a source told TRD in April.

Other companies working with the developer filed liens against the property, which is not uncommon during construction. The engineering firm Kimley-Horn filed a construction lien lawsuit against the developer in March over about $72,000 in allegedly unpaid work.

At Mercedes-Benz Places, the lender Cottonwood sued for foreclosure in April, alleging the developer defaulted when it failed to repay the loan by the January 2025 maturity date. Cottonwood is seeking more than $100 million in damages, including interest. Weeks later, the JDS affiliate countersued, accusing the lender of using confidential information meant for a refinancing to underhandedly swoop in and purchase the note, to then foreclose.

Court filings say that the foreclosure suit caused “immediate, significant and potentially irreparable damage” to the developer and the project. After the foreclosure was filed, the city of Miami notified the developer that it had defaulted under the public benefits agreement, which requires JDS to build a new fire station for the city. JDS’ approval in 2020 hinged on the developer agreeing to build an $8 million firehouse and put $5 million into public benefits, including a redesign of the adjacent Southside Park.

Ryan Serhant’s firm is leading the sales of Mercedes-Benz Places. The brokerage does not appear to have sued the developer, according to court filings.