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Corporate Jet Special! All Inventory Must Go!

cityfile · 05/29/09 01:04PM

When we mentioned yesterday that Pfizer had put two of its planes up for sale, we were reminded of that moment in late 2008 when every company in America seemed determined to dump their flying palaces in response to the downturn. That had us wondering about the fate of some of the jets that had been placed on the market in the waning days of 2008. Did Citigroup's Vikram Pandit manage to dupe someone into taking a couple of planes and a helicopter off his hands? What about that New York Times Co. jet? Sadly, very few of them have found a new home (or hanger) yet. But some of them are cheaper than ever! And since the thought of these jets sitting forlornly at Teterboro pains us all, we've rounded up a bunch of corporate planes that remain on the market. Print out the used-plane ad above, hand it around the office, and spread the word: A little word-of-mouth marketing goes a long way!

Estate Planning With Your Host Padma Lakshmi

cityfile · 05/29/09 08:49AM

Padma Lakshmi is no longer the owner of a spacious, full-floor loft at 211 East 2nd Street. The author and TV hostess has turned the apartment over to what we're guessing is a personal trust, considering it was sold to something called "The Delicious Trust" for the pricely sum of $0. (Delicious, indeed!) Lakshmi purchased the loft in early 2008 for $1.65 million; in addition to spectacular views from north, west and east exposures, it also features a "wonderful windowed cook's kitchen with butternut cabinetry, basalt countertops and modern appliances." After the jump, a few photos of Padma's "delicious" loft, as well as her autograph on the official property transfer report.

A Pair of Pfizer Gulfstreams: Yours For $64,750,000

cityfile · 05/28/09 10:23AM

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer raised $10 billion with a big bond sale in the UK on Tuesday. Closer to home, it's looking to raise $64.75 million by selling off two of its Gulfstream jets. The world's largest drugmaker has put a Gulfstream V up for sale for $29.25 million; the company is also looking for someone to take possession of an even fancier Gulfstream 550 for $35.5 million. It's unclear when the planes were put up for sale exactly, although both were reduced in price recently. And while there's no indication if Pfizer chief Jeff Kindler would be willing to negotiate a little package deal, if your company is flush with cash and your logo is blue, you'll save a small fortune by not having to repaint them. (They come in matching shades of Pfizer—Viagra—blue, naturally.) Click on the photo above to see the planes that millions of impotent men around the world so generously paid for.

A New Target For the Man Who Brought Down Lehman

cityfile · 05/27/09 02:18PM

More than 1,000 hedge fund managers gathered at Lincoln Center today for the Ira W. Sohn Investment Research Conference, an event that raises money for charity as well as gives other members of the industry a chance to gleam investment recommendations from some of the brightest financial geniuses around. (Those who paid the $3,000-per-person fee this year were treated to talks by the likes of Jim Chanos, Mark Kingdon, Stephen Mandel, Peter Schiff, and Peter Thiel.) Last year's conference was a particularly dramatic affair. David Einhorn, the founder of Greenlight Capital, used the event as an opportunity to explain why Lehman Brothers was headed off a cliff. Those who heeded Einhorn's advice did well for themselves, of course: The bank went bust just four months later. Einhorn spoke at the annual confab once again today, although it's too soon to know if the poker-loving hedge fund manager took aim at another financial firm this time around. In the meantime, though, Einhorn's lawyers seem to have done just that. They've been busy trying to crush the other Greenlight Capital.

Ron Perelman Does Not Tolerate Disloyalty

cityfile · 05/22/09 11:01AM

Don Drapkin was once one of Ron Perelman's closest associates. A former lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Drapkin spent 20 years working for Perelman's holding company MacAndrews & Forbes as his chief dealmaker and "strategic thinker." He was so close to Perelman, in fact, that the billionaire mogul once likened him to a brother. Until, that is, Drapkin jumped ship in 2007 and joined Lazard as the firm's vice chairman at the invitation of Lazard chief Bruce Wasserstein. The split seemed uncharacteristically amicable at the time—Perelman announced that Drapkin had "done a terrific job," and he'd "miss him." But the relationship seems to have taken a turn for the worse since then. Perelman just hit Drapkin with a lawsuit.

More Legal Trouble For Tavern on the Green

cityfile · 05/19/09 08:55AM

These are difficult times for the LeRoy clan, the family that controls Tavern on the Green in Central Park. The 20-year lease on the fabled restaurant expires at the end of the year and Jennifer Oz LeRoy, the daughter of the late restaurant impresario Warner LeRoy, has been fighting to hold on to the venue. (More than 100 other parties have expressed interest in taking over the lease, although several of the biggest names—such as Danny Meyerhave since dropped out.) Now the LeRoy family has another headache to contend with.

Meltdown With Keith Olbermann!

cityfile · 05/14/09 08:42AM

If you regularly tune in to Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, you may remember that Olbermann was mysteriously absent from the show for three days at the end of April. But Olbermann didn't just "have the night off," as David Shuster, his fill-in, said on the air three evenings in a row. According to a source inside MSNBC, it was a bizarre temper tantrum on Olbermann's part that led him to storm off the set in protest. Even stranger: The drama was all Ben Affleck's fault.

Bear Stearns Exec Trades Down in Scarsdale

cityfile · 05/12/09 09:06AM

Gary Reback worked at Bear Stearns until the bank crumbled last year and, like thousands of others, he was laid off. Yesterday, Reback filed a lawsuit against the firm and the bank that acquired Bear Stearns, JPMorgan Chase, for denying him the $2 million bonus and $1.1 million severance package he insists he's entitled to. The unusual suit didn't earn him much sympathy from the press. (The first sentence of a Post article called him a "bonus crybaby".) But clearly times are tough for Reback.

David Sepulveda Is No Match for Karl Lagerfeld

cityfile · 05/08/09 01:04PM

Do not assume for a second that if you buy Chanel perfume on the site perfumekaos.com—or a Chanel handbag on bagsnyc.com—you are getting the genuine article. (As if you'd be fooled by a $5,000 bag on sale for $49.99!) Chanel slapped a Bronx man named David Sepulveda with lawsuit for acting as the "moving and conscious force" behind a collection of websites that sell counterfeit Chanel products on the Web. The French luxury giant says Sepulveda's operation is causing Chanel "irreparable damage," which might be because the crap he's selling is not real, and thus "likely inferior in quality." Chanel is asking a judge to put a stop to Sepulveda's operation as well as demanding he hand over $2 million "per each counterfeit Chanel mark used and product sold." That could end up being a lot of money, clearly. Even more frightening: If Sepulveda doesn't quit ripping off Chanel, he runs the risk of having Karl Lagerfeld personally show up to his office at 1676 Mayflower Avenue in the Bronx and take care of matters personally. And that could get messy in a hurry. The full lawsuit is below.

Another Day, Another Restaurant Sued

cityfile · 04/28/09 10:11AM

Parlor Steakhouse on the Upper East Side earned a middling review when Frank Bruni of the New York Times paid a visit last October. He came way reasonably pleased with the service, though, including the "friendly hostesses," and "prompt waiter." But that may be because he didn't come across a waiter by the name of Hugh Loeser. Parlor is the latest in a very, very, very long line of restaurants to find itself sued by an employee for paying less than the minimum wage and for pooling tips. You can take a gander at Loeser's lawsuit after the jump.

Peter Arnell Loses Again

cityfile · 04/27/09 12:50PM

Peter Arnell can't seem to catch a break these days. Earlier this year, the advertising mogul and "brand expert" was widely mocked for blowing millions on a silly, new logo Pepsi. Just weeks later, his decision to change Tropicana's packaging turned into an epic disaster, causing thousands of consumers to cry foul and sending sales plummeting by 20 percent. Now he has another more defeat to add to his list. HarperCollins just won a lawsuit against Arnell and he'll now have to write the publishing house a check for $100,000.

More Trouble for the Peltzes: The Chauffeur Files Suit

cityfile · 04/27/09 08:58AM

The stories we recounted last week about the abusive working conditions at the estate of Nelson Peltz (see here and here) weren't the first complaints directed at the billionaire investor. Last month, James Turowski, who says he worked as a bodyguard and chauffeur for Peltz, filed a discrimination lawsuit against his employer. Turowski says he was working for the Peltzes when he sustained a serious head injury, and he ultimately had to be hospitalized for several weeks as a result. When he returned to work, however, he was almost immediately fired, a violation, he claims, of city and state employment laws as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Last week, Peltz's attorneys filed papers to move the case from state court to federal court. But Peltz's legal team may have more on its plate in the near future. We hear several former employees of his estate are now looking into filing a class action suit over the treatment they received working at Peltz's Westchester mansion. In the meantime, you'll find Turowski's suit after the jump.

Nelson and Claudia Peltz's House of Horrors, Part Two

cityfile · 04/24/09 09:57AM

We have some new—and disturbing—information on the house of horrors in Bedford occupied by billionaire Nelson Peltz and his wife Claudia. (If you missed yesterday's installment, go here.) We've made contact with several other people who worked inside the home in the past, and their stories, which are just as outrageous as the ones we'd heard previously, make it clear that the Peltzes may very well be the scariest couple to work for in the tri-state area.

Nelson Peltz's House of Horrors

cityfile · 04/23/09 10:05AM

Billionaire Nelson Peltz remains one of the most famous takeover artists in America: In recent years, the corporate raider (or "activist investor," as he prefers to be known) has battled for control of Wendy's, Heinz, and the candymaker Cadbury Schweppes. His hard-charging approach and tendency to ruffle feathers isn't just restricted to his professional life. Life inside Peltz's vast estate in Bedford is just as vicious, we hear, and the staff at the estate is subjected to such a dizzying amount of abuse, the Peltzes may be the worst family in America to work for.

Jared Kushner Buys at Astor Place

cityfile · 04/22/09 06:50AM

Jared Kushner has a new apartment where he'll soon be spending quiet evenings in the company of Ivanka Trump: The real estate scion and Observer publisher has paid $3.225 million for a two-bedroom, seventh-floor condo at 21 Astor Place. Described by the listing agent as a "sexy apartment," the duplex condo loft comes with two bedrooms, a home office, 2.5 baths, and "elaborate designer staircase." It looks like Kushner got a discount, too. The apartment had been listed at $3.5 million. Floorplan after the jump!

Tina Fey Pays $3.4 Million on the UWS

cityfile · 04/21/09 07:01AM

Tina Fey and her husband Jeff Richmond have a new Upper West Side apartment to call home. The couple picked up a co-op at 300 West End Avenue for $3.4 million, substantially less than the asking price of $4.1 million. The fourth-floor apartment features four bedrooms, eat-in kitchen, living room with wood-burning fireplace, library, private elevator landing, and a view that includes "a peek of the river." A peek at the apartment and floorplan after the jump!

Hachette Fights For Its Right to Make Bathroom Mats

cityfile · 04/20/09 10:13AM

This is a tough time for the magazine business, so it's only to be expected that publishers will do whatever is necessary to defend their dying brands. You may have never picked up a copy of Metropolitan Home (or even heard of the title), but Hachette wasn't thrilled to find out that a company has been producing lighting fixtures under the "Metropolitan Home" name, especially since part of Hachette's plan to save the title consists of launching a line of home decor products under the same name.