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More than $10M is at stake as one of the East Coast’s most prominent developer families faces a civil trial this week.
Andrew Chesnick, the former chief operating officer of Dezer Development, is suing founder Michael Dezer; his wife, Neomi, in her capacity as trustee of a family trust; their son, Gil, CEO of the company; and several corporate entities that the family controls for breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
In testimony Tuesday, Chesnick described working for the Dezers as "a very toxic situation" in which he was cursed at, threatened and humiliated. He claims he is owed millions of the family's profits from high-profile projects. He alleges "constructive termination" — that the work environment was so hostile, he was forced to resign.
Gil Dezer testified Monday that Chesnick “screwed up everything he was working on over and over again." The Dezers contend Chesnick quit voluntarily and thus is owed nothing. In a pre-trial deposition, Dezer called the suit a “shakedown.”
Chesnick filed suit in 2017 in Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the non-jury trial in front of Judge Michael Hanzman is being conducted online over Zoom.At the center of the case is Chesnick’s resignation and the work environment at Dezer Development. Gil Dezer admitted that he…
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