Side files preliminary injunction against Alexander brothers in wake of arrests
The criminal charges against the Alexander brothers are now affecting Side’s civil lawsuit against them. Side has filed a preliminary injunction against Tal and Oren Alexander and their brokerage, Official Partners, that seeks to prevent them from dissipating, hiding or moving collateral for a loan that Side claims the brothers have defaulted on.
Side — a white-label brokerage that affiliated with Official Partners — argues that the criminal charges filed against the Alexanders last week require immediate action from the court. The company argues that the charges could incentivize the brothers to use the collateral to cover the steep costs of the legal fees to fight the charges, as well as the potential financial costs related to posting bail.
The brokerage also believes an injunction is needed because the brothers remain in police custody in Miami and are no longer accessible. If they’re released, Side argues that they pose a heavy flight risk given their considerable wealth and international connections. It also notes that the alleged pattern of sexual assault by the brothers raises the possibility of additional criminal or civil lawsuits.
The brothers responded with a filing in which they say the criminal charges have no relevance to Side’s case against them.
In October, Side sued Tal and Oren Alexander and Official Partners for defaulting on a $4.6 million promissory note extended to them prior to the sexual assault allegations that surfaced in June. The events of default include dissociating from their real estate licenses, failure to maintain and protect the collateral, and refusal to pay the loan balance after Side sent them a notice of default.
Side responded in November by filing a restraining order against Official for supposedly moving the unspecified collateral. The Alexanders deny the charges, claiming that Side manufactured the event of default by unilaterally dissociating their real estate licenses and refusing to reinstate them.
Tal and Oren Alexander were once star luxury real estate brokers, having built their business at Douglas Elliman before leaving in 2022 to found Official Partners and affiliating with Side. They represented ultrawealthy and celebrity clients.
Their falling out with Side coincides with accusations against them of a years-long pattern of drugging and raping women. The federal charges against them claim that the behavior dates as far back as high school.
In March, Rebecca Mandel and Kate Whiteman filed sexual assault lawsuits in New York against Oren Alexander and his twin brother Alon. Another woman, Angelica Parker, filed suit shortly after. All three brothers were arrested last week in Miami on state and federal criminal charges.
A day later, a woman named as a Jane Doe in the federal case filed a civil case in New York. An FBI agent testified Monday in the federal detention hearing of Tal Alexander that she interviewed 40 women who claim they were raped by one or more of the three brothers.
A federal judge denied Tal Alexander’s request for bond, despite the family pledging $115 million that would be collateralized by their father’s real estate holdings. If denied release, the three brothers will be relocated to New York and remain in federal custody.
On Monday, Bloomberg News reported that the Department of Justice has requested information from Douglas Elliman about internal reviews of Tal and Oren Alexander’s behavior during their time at the brokerage.