Comedian Must Pay Real Estate Commission To Sabbath-Observant Broker

The New York Law Journal and the New York Post earlier this week both reported on a lawsuit against Comedian Jerry Seinfeld by a real estate broker whose religious observance almost led to her not getting her commission on the sale of a $3.95 million townhouse to Seinfeld. Real estate broker, Tamara Cohen, acting as a co-broker, showed an 82nd Street townhouse to Seinfeld's "estate manager", and then a second time to him and Seinfeld's wife Jessica. However, when on the next day-- a Saturday-- Cohen failed to return a telephone call, Seinfeld and his wife went back to the townhouse and negotiated a purchase directly from the owner. Cohen's delay in returning the call-- that had been placed by Seinfeld's estate manager-- was because she had her telephone turned off for the Jewish Sabbath. Seinfeld testified that he did not know this was the reason for Cohen's not calling back. In Cohen's suit for her commission, New York state Supreme Court (trial court) Judge Rolando Acosta ruled that Cohen was entitled to her sales commission.