Oren Alexander’s partners sever ties after rape allegations

Brokerage tries to smooth over co-founder’s exit in internal statement

Oren Alexander’s Partners Cut Ties After Rape Allegations — Nicole Oge and Oren Alexander (Getty, Official)

Jun 14, 2024, 7:30 PM

Oren Alexander’s partners at Official, led by Nicole Oge, are removing him as an owner of the brokerage following news of rape and assault allegations against him, according to an internal email obtained by The Real Deal.

In the email sent on Friday, Oge wrote that Alexander was “immediately isolated from the business” after the allegations became public and that “the process of removing him from ownership is well underway.”

It’s unclear how or what that process entails. The company did not respond to specific questions about the sale of Oren’s stake in Official.

Oren and Tal co-founded the brokerage, which is backed by the white label firm Side, in 2022. The launch was documented in a media blitz promoting the Alexander Team, which rose to prominence over the previous decade at Douglas Elliman.

The Alexanders were listed on the company’s founders page and considered part of its leadership team, but Oge’s email is indicative of her and the other co-founders attempting to distance themselves from Oren following the allegations becoming public.

The statement comes a week after TRD first reported two lawsuits filed in March alleging Oren and his twin brother Alon raped and sexually assaulted at least two women in New York in 2010 and 2012. The suits were filed under the Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily eliminated the statute of limitations for civil sexual assault claims. Since TRD’s reporting on these claims, at least 28 additional alleged victims have come forward, according to Evan Torgan, the attorney who filed the first suits.

Tal, who was not named in the lawsuits, is still listed as a co-founder.

“Oren was not involved in our business processes and OFFICIAL’s operations have always been overseen by Richard, Andrew and myself, and continue normally,” Oge wrote in the email. Oge is referring to her partner Richard Jordan and Andrew Wachtfogel.

Oren also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sources told TRD on Thursday that Michael Stern’s JDS Development plans to remove Official as the head of sales at its Dolce & Gabbana-branded project in Miami’s Brickell. But a previous statement from Oge and her Friday email deny that the company’s been removed from any projects since the lawsuits were reported.

“Although the news has appeared disruptive to our company, the OFFICIAL team has maintained its relationship with every one of our agents and developer clients,” Oge wrote in the email.

“Rumors are an unavoidable part of our industry, but results matter and we will continue to deliver,” Oge wrote in a statement earlier this week.

Official is still leading sales of developer Michael Shvo and Deutsche Finance’s Rosewood Hotels & Resorts-branded Raleigh condo development in Miami Beach. Shvo has not responded to requests for comment since Tuesday.

Oren announced on his Instagram story on Tuesday that he’s taking a “pause” from the company while the lawsuits are underway. His bio was removed from the company’s website and its founder page, and his license is no longer active in Florida or New York, records show.