NYC Woman Falls for $19 Million Penthouse Scam, Slams Corcoran Group With Lawsuit The single mom of three's dream home has turned into a nightmare.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

mbbirdy | Getty Images

In today's real estate market, snagging an NYC penthouse would be a dream come true for most.

But for one NYC woman, who's a single mom of three, a $19 million, 5,550-square-foot Tribeca property has turned into a nightmare, per the New York Post, as she claims she was sold the home in March under the pretense of it having a full-time doorman.

Related: The Real Estate Housing Market Is Shifting: Too Many Homes, Not Enough Buyers

Like most places in the country, the Tribeca area's median home sale price has increased year over year, clocking in at $3,675,000, according to Redfin — making the woman's purchase significantly higher than average. Per the same data, there were 66 homes sold in July this year, down from 108 the year before.

The seven-story luxury condo building in question, located at 37 Warren Street, only has a part-time doorman on weekdays and a virtual attendant on weekends, the Manhattan Supreme Court filing alleges.

The breach-of-contract suit, which seeks the return of a $1.9 million deposit, names the Corcoran Group, founded by Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran in 1973, and one of its brokers, Catherine Juracich, claiming the buyer felt "unsafe" without the full-time doorman. Upon learning about the doorman situation, she broke the purchase contract this summer, per the Post.

According to the suit, the seller Zoelle LLC was "intentionally false and descriptive" in its representation of the listing. It also accuses the Corcoran Group of misrepresenting the penthouse in an ad, strategically showing the penthouse when the doorman was there and blocking a virtual-doorman screen that indicated the attendant's part-time status.

Related: What Is a Housing Market Recession?

An attorney for the seller filed a letter with the court stating his client isn't responsible.

Amanda Breen

BIZ Experiences Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at BIZ Experiences.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Starting a Business

These Brothers Started a Business to Improve an Everyday Task. They Made Their First Products in the Garage — Now They've Raised Over $100 Million.

Coulter and Trent Lewis had an early research breakthrough that helped them solve for the right problem.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Franchise

10 No-Office-Required Businesses You Can Start for as Little as $5,000

With strong Franchise 500 rankings and investment levels starting under $5,000, these brands are ready for new owners to hit the ground running.

Franchise

How to Prepare Your Business — And Yourself — For a Smooth Exit

After decades of building your business, turning it over to someone else can be emotional. But with the right mindset and a strong plan, it can also be your proudest moment.

Business News

Here Are the 10 Jobs AI Is Most Likely to Automate, According to a Microsoft Study

These careers are most likely to be affected by generative AI, based on data from 200,000 conversations with Microsoft's Copilot chatbot.