Lawsuits

Digital art company claims it is owed millions from NFT sales in lawsuit against artist

DigiArt is suing artist Danny Casale, also known as Coolman Coffeedan, for allegedly producing more than 10,000 NFTs in breach of their contract

California police officers’ lawsuit over Black Lives Matter mural is dismissed

Six police officers in the Silicon Valley city of Palo Alto claimed the mural was discriminatory, constituted harassment and that they had faced retaliation for speaking out

Appeals court sides with Phillips in dispute with Chinese collector over auction of Gerhard Richter fighter jet painting

The decision, the latest (and possibly last) in a legal saga that stretches back to 2015, upholds a 2021 decision in the auction house’s favour

Indigenous man allegedly fired for refusing to discard bones and artefacts unearthed at Texas construction site

The San Antonio-based chef and site manager was dismissed after being instructed to destroy the discoveries to avoid delaying the renovation of a restaurant

The socialite collectors, the $700,000 Cecily Brown painting and the first-refusal contract—lawsuit reveals secret machinations of the art world

Chinese collector Michael Xufu Huang was covertly buying works on behalf of the Monaco-based Federico Castro Debernardi for a 10% commission. But then he got stung

Peter Max’s guardian sues his daughter for defamation in latest twist in battle over elderly artist’s care and legacy

Libra Max previously sued to end Barbara Lissner’s guardianship of her father; now Lissner has sued back, alleging that Libra Max’s legal and public relations campaign defamed her

Colston: Four BLM protestors found not guilty of criminal damage after toppling Bristol slave trader statue

Trial reignited the debate about the value of colonial-era contested monuments and statues

Trial of 'Colston Four', who helped topple slave trader statue in Bristol, begins

Banksy is selling t-shirts to help fund costs of four accused protestors

‘Fearless Girl’ sculptor mints NFTs to cover legal fees in rights dispute

A lawsuit between Kristen Visbal and State Street Global Advisors over rights to the viral statue has dragged on for nearly three years

Jeff Koons reveals he is making NFTs, details plans for his Pace Gallery shows and remembers his hotel rendezvous with Salvador Dalí

The Balloon Dog sculptor spoke to The Art Newspaper as he announced a new art collaboration with BMW

Hobby Lobby files $7m lawsuit against former Oxford professor over allegedly stolen papyrus fragments he sold

The crafts chain, which bought them for its Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, says the seller lied about the biblical objects’ provenance

Andy Warhol Foundation fights back in fair use case

Lawyers for the foundation claim a US Court of Appeals decision conflicts with precedent and threatens historically significant contemporary art work

A German prince is suing his 'ungrateful' son for selling ancestral castle for €1

Ernst August Sr, Prince of Hanover, claims that his son went behind his back to seize control of his estates

Court awards New York dealer Asher Edelman $6.9m over failed deal allegedly involving member of the Abu Dhabi royal family

Mysterious case, involving an unpaid bill for Keith Haring and Edvard Munch works, had been running for years

'The law has to fall on someone': Seller of allegedly fake Frans Hals must pay Sotheby's $5.4m for cancelled sale, judge insists

London Court of Appeal upholds the auction house's defence in forgery case, rejecting appeal by investment company Fairlight Art Ventures

Seller contests having to repay Sotheby’s for allegedly forged Frans Hals

In latest hearing of ongoing legal saga, Fairlight Art Ventures, co-vendor of painting sold in 2011 for $10.75m, is refusing to pay auction house more than $5.3m

Insurers fight $107m claim for Modigliani paintings seized by Italian police

A US dealer says he is owed millions by insurance brokers for 12 works that were confiscated by authorities from the Palazzo Ducale in 2017 as suspected fakes

Art adviser sues Rudy Giuliani for $15k in unpaid fees

A lawsuit says the former New York City mayor and lawyer for Trump hired an advisory firm to appraise the value of his collection during a bitter divorce battle

Insurers hit by art-world class action lawsuit as coronavirus crisis bites

Claimants including major museums and art galleries accuse companies of failing to pay out on Covid-19 pandemic

New York dealer Adam Lindemann sues real estate titan Aby Rosen to get out of his lease

The owner of Venus Over Manhattan gallery is withholding rent and demanding his $365,000 security deposit back due to coronavirus lockdowns that have shuttered the space

Former Paddle8 chief executive sued for $1m

Following the online auction house's bankruptcy filing, creditors claim Valentine Uhovski mismanaged funds from online sales and charity auctions

Old Master scandal dealt fresh blow as Court of Appeal rejects arrest warrant

French investigation into Giuliano Ruffini, the prime suspect in the case, is hampered by Milan ruling

Lawsuitscomment

Dodgy dealers beware: anti-fraud lawsuits are on the rise

A spate of fraudulent agents in the dock this year give the art trade a bad image—even if only a few individuals are involved

Lawsuitsarchive

Collector wins $1.7 million in damages from New York Gallery over violation of lending contract

Jean-Pierre Lehmann was denied “the right of first refusal over everybody”

Artists and museums sue Israel’s ministry of culture

Protests against threats to freedom of speech flared all summer

Lawsuitsarchive

Barbara Allbritton sues IRS for $40.6m tax refund

The collector is arguing that no transfer of ownership of her collection ever took place

Copyrightarchive

The verdict that flies in the face of art history: Luc Tuymans guilty of copyright infringement

A Belgian court recently found Tuymans guilty, a ruling that ignores appropriation’s vital role in art over the centuries and has worrying implications for the future

"Ridiculous" case involving possible Malevich, Suetin, and Chashnik fakes continues

The lawsuit, dating back to 2009, is between Russian dealer Gary Tatintsian and Lev Nussberg, an artist, art historian and collector