Posted on 01/17/2007 8:50:22 AM PST by Nachum
American Jewish comedian Jerry Seinfeld was ordered by the court to pay a Sabbath-observant realtor her fee, which he withheld due to her not having answered her phone on Saturday.
The realtor, Tamara Cohen, was unavailable when Seinfeld tried to reach her on a Saturday in February, 2005, according to the New York Post. The comedian and star of the highly successful sitcom bearing his name wanted to see a luxury apartment on 82nd street but could not get in touch with Cohen.
Seinfeld’s estate manager had visited the apartment with Cohen in January 2005, when the listing broker for the townhouse agreed to co-broke the house with her. On Friday, February 11, the estate manager and Seinfeld’s wife Jessica were shown the property by Cohen again. The next day, after Cohen did not answer her cell phone due to it being the Sabbath, the Seinfelds visited the apartment on their own, buying the home for $3.95 million without a broker.
Seinfeld testified that Cohen did not deserve the payment as she had been unavailable when he and his wife wanted to see the home. Both Seinfelds said they had not known the reason Cohen did not return their calls was that she was a Sabbath-observant Jew.
New York State Supreme Court justice Rolando Acosta ruled that the Seinfelds must pay Cohen at least $98,000 for her role as co-broker – a ruling that is seen as a positive defense of religious worship for Sabbath observers.
Acosta said that notwithstanding Cohen's failure to immediately return the Seinfelds' calls, "[T]he evidence clearly indicates that she served as the Seinfelds' real estate broker."
"The only real issue here . . . is whether the broker's fee was 5 or 6 percent," Acosta said, meaning Cohen may get as much as $118,500.
Richard Menaker of Menaker & Hermann, the law firm that represented the Seinfelds, said he intends to move to re-argue. "Not a single one of the [six] arguments we made was addressed," Menaker said, according to Law.com. "At the oral argument I pointed out that Ms. Cohen is not licensed. You can only recover on an oral agreement if you're a licensed real-estate broker," he added. Cohen’s lawyer said that she is in fact licensed and that the court apparently agreed.
Seinfeld should only have to pay Cohen half of her normal fee since she did a half-assed job.
They actually met on the honeymoon if you can imagine that. Jerry's wife apparently went to high school with me but I never knew her.
I gotta say, it's a weird world where flipping a light switch or turning a key are considered "work."
Actually, the light switch is more of a "fire" issue.
There's a list of things, and starting a fire is one --- lights being the modern equivalent.
Turning the key is not the issue --- carrying something (the key) from inside to outside is the issue.
Here's a reasonably good list:
http://www.ou.org/chagim/shabbat/thirtynine.htm
Seinfeld is an anti-Dentite.
I think she had just gotten back from Italy, but what's a few days here and there? Jerry asked her out, and the bride said yes, and the rest is history.
For those who have no idea what we're talking about, just google the name "Eric Nederlander". :)
How can you be in real estate and not work Saturdays ?
>>I gotta say, it's a weird world where flipping a light switch or turning a key are considered "work."<<
I heard, 20 years ago, from a Jewish friend, that they would set timers on the TV and other things so they would not have to turn on the tv or change channels.
It was one of the things Jesus was talking to them about when he said if you lust after a woman you have committed adultery in your heart and if you hate your brother you have committed murder in your heart.
He was trying to tell them that they were obeying the letter of the law but completely ignoring it's spirit.
Jesus IS the Christians Sabbath.
Orthodox Jew's lives are controlled almost as much as Muslim's. Islam has much in common with Judeaism regarding little life controlling laws and rules - but islam is much, MUCH worse.
Interesting case. Both sides have a point here, it seems to me.
Ping!
"We are talking about someone who 'made out' during Schindler's List."
Not that there's anything wrong with that...
Would you please supply the the scriptural citation.
b'shem Y'shua
Sorry, I have solid meetings today, but I can give a high level description.
The Sabbath is all about "rest". Jesus makes it very clear that He gives us "rest". There is much more to it than that, but as I have said before, Jews are "letter of the law" while Christians are "spirit of the law".
"Homebuyer Nazi"?
ping
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