Sotheby's may be liable for $4 million in missing diamonds, judge rules
CNN
A convoluted, star-studded California court case may leave Sotheby's auction house liable for $4 million in disappeared diamonds. The auctioneer turned the jewels over to a 'stranger,' a federal judge charges
Sotheby's may be liable for $4 million of disappeared diamonds, a state appellate court ruled this month, after the auction house allegedly released them to a person a lawsuit calls "a stranger."
M&L Financial filed the lawsuit alleging it had given the diamonds to Sotheby's for appraisal in April 2019 and was considering a future consignment. A few months later, M&L alleged, Sotheby's told the company that it had given the diamonds to an agent of the company that had pledged the stones to M&L as loan collateral. The diamonds have been missing ever since.