Court filing: If Porsche Jerry Seinfeld sold was fake, comic was duped
In court papers, lawyers for Jerry Seinfeld say if the Porsche the comedian sold in 2016 was a fake, the comedian didn't know. Credit: Getty Images / Nicholas Hunt
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld on Monday responded to a Manhattan federal court lawsuit over the authenticity of a $1.5 million rare Porsche that he sold by suing the company he bought it from, contending that if it’s a fake he was duped.
“Mr. Seinfeld, who is a very successful comedian, does not need to supplement his income by building and selling counterfeit sports cars,” Seinfeld’s lawyers said in the new court filing, describing him as “the man in the middle.”
Seinfeld, a rare car aficionado, sold the car — a 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster — for $1.54 million at a 2016 auction to Fica Frio Limited. Auction materials called it "among the finest restored examples of a highly sought-after four-cam Porsche.”
Fica Frio sued this month, contending that experts disputed the car’s pedigree and that Seinfeld reneged on an agreement to refund the money. In Monday’s filing, Seinfeld sued European Collectibles, the California company he bought the car from for $1.2 million, saying they had certified the vehicle.
“Any dispute over the vehicle’s authenticity should be between Fica Frio and European Collectibles,” said the filing, known as a “third party complaint,” which argued that he should be indemnified for any damages if the car was a fake.
Seinfeld’s suit said European Collectibles had been in business for 30 years, and he had “no knowledge” about the car’s authenticity, but added that “this is not the first time that a Porsche restored and sold by European Collectibles was alleged to be inauthentic by a disgruntled Porsche collector.”
European Collectibles Inc., based in Costa Mesa, California, did not immediately respond to a phone message asking about the lawsuit.
Seinfeld’s lawyer, Orin Snyder, said in a statement, “Jerry has no liability in this matter, but he wants to do the right thing, and is therefore bringing this action to hold European Collectibles accountable for its own certification of authenticity, and to allow the court to determine the just outcome.”
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