Kim Kardashian West

Photo Credit: ShutterstockPhoto Credit: ShutterstockKanye and Kim Kardashian West have notably worked with Axel Vervoordt to create their dreamy, futuristic Los Angeles home. The acclaimed interior designer is also an established antiquarian, foundation owner, and owner of two art galleries. Mrs. West is an enthusiast of Vervoordt's minimalistic expression and apparently, has the same taste in art as well.

In 2016, Kim allegedly purchased a sculpture called "Fragment of Myron's Samian Athena” from Vervoordt’s gallery. When a 5 ton, 40 piece shipment arrived at U.S. customs for inspection and the "large draped statue" from an "Old German Collection" bought before 1980, turned out to be a $745,882 sculpture made sometime between the 1st and 2nd century A.D it was flagged as possible culturally protected property. The ancient Roman limestone statue is believed to be illegally smuggled from Italy. Could Kim Kardashian have been part of this art heist of sorts?

A representative for Kim Kardashian claims she never purchased this piece and didn’t even know of its existence until she was alerted of a federal civil forfeiture action on April 30th. Records indicate that Vervoordt is the shipper of the statue, but the importer is listed as “Kim Kardashian dba Noel Roberts Trust.” This trust has been linked to Mr. and Mrs. West for previous real estate purchases, and while neither the trust nor the Wests or Vervoordt are listed as defendants, they may be troubled or negatively affected by these events.

A representative for Vervoordt has said "there is no evidence that this piece was illegally imported from Italy. Our client, as well as our gallery and the gallery from whom we've bought the piece, have always acted in good faith when dealing with the work." The piece is currently in federal custody pending a judge’s decision.

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Cineflix, which produces Property Brothers on HGTV, is still facing a lawsuit from a couple who appeared on the TV show and felt “bamboozled and tricked” after discovering multiple issues with their costly home renovation.

Despite Drew and Jonathan Scott’s aim to help couples unearth their dream homes using “state-of-the-art” programs for construction and remodeling, the production company behind Property Brothers is now facing a lawsuit from a Las Vegas couple who allegedly found several problems with their home renovation, which was featured on an episode of the hit reality HGTV series.

Paul and Mindy King told KTNY that they’re suing Cineflix (the company that produces Property Brothers) and the local contractor, Villa Construction, that worked on their home after discovering wires left exposed, uneven baseboards, improperly attached doors, and a number of renovations not executed according to code. The brothers themselves were not named in the lawsuit. 

To clarify, in order for the Scott brothers to work with local contractors on the properties featured on the show, the homeowners in each episode must take care of the expenses first.

The Kings paid over $193,000 to Cineflix for their home remodel in 2019 after hearing about a Property Brothers casting call in 2018. With promises of a perfect HGTV quality remodel, the couple said they passed on a honeymoon to set aside money and signed the contract that guaranteed all the work would be done to code. 

However, the couple’s confidence plummeted after discovering the shoddy renovations, which Paul told KTNY that “for somebody just walking in, it’s really good from far, but it’s far from good.”

Prior to taking legal action, the couple claimed they gave Cineflix and Villa Construction enough time to fix the issues that they had identified in their home. Nevertheless, the production and construction companies have thus far disputed this. 

Mindy filed a complaint with the Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) listing over 90 deficiencies, but the board only addressed 10 of those listed to be warranted and issued a Notice to Correct such deficiencies to Villa Construction.

The couple’s claims regarding the access they gave the contractor to repair the damages in the house — that is, the property remained vacated for two months before the couple moved in, and they permitted the contractors to enter the house more than 10 times over a four-month period after moving in — were by contradicted the NSCB after it closed out the complaint citing the Kings for declining to let the contractor inside. Villa Construction and Cineflix both agreed.

Cineflix released the following statement from its lawyers: 

“We recognize the responsibility we are granted by the homeowners who choose to take part in our television shows. Cineflix (Property Brothers 7) Inc. works with dedicated professionals who take pride in their work. We are aware of Paul and Mindy King's claims and have worked to resolve the short punch list of items that were identified by the Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB). When the Kings rejected our attempts to complete the work, the NSCB closed the case and the punch list of items remain unresolved. As this matter is now before the courts, we are unable to comment any further at this time.”

Meanwhile, Villa Construction President Todd Christensen released his own statement: 

“We always strive for customer satisfaction in all projects we undertake. Regarding the project at 7400 .... Ave, we were contacted by and contracted with a production company to participate in several home remodel projects. After completion of this project, the initial, detailed Construction Punch List created by the homeowner was completed. We have been made aware of additional items, several of which were only brought to our attention over a year after the work was completed, by way of the homeowner seeking a third-party inspection by the Nevada State Contractor's Board (NSCB). We cooperated with the inspection and tried to work with the homeowner to resolve the short list of items that were identified by the NSCB. Access to the home was denied by the homeowner. The NSCB made the decision to close the matter on October 21, 2020 via letter which stated, ‘Since you have not provided the contractor access to make the necessary corrections, we will take no further action’. We understand that the homeowner is now pursuing a legal claim, and therefore we have no further comment at this time.”

Additionally, the Scott brothers’ lawyers issued their own statement to Channel 9: 

“The Property Brothers (“Brothers”) are not named defendants in Paul and Mindy King's (the “Kings”) lawsuit initiated against Cineflix (Property Brothers 7) Inc. and Villa Construction, nor are they responsible for the Kings’ alleged claims. The Kings have rejected Cineflix (Property Brothers 7) Inc.’s and Villa’s reasonable attempts to remedy the remaining punch list items in the Kings’ home. Instead, in what appears to be an attempt to secure a substantial monetary settlement, the Kings have engaged in a negative publicity campaign against the Brothers. It is unfortunate that the Kings have resorted to such conduct.”

As of now, attorneys for Cineflix filed to have the Kings’ case dismissed, which is set for a hearing scheduled at the end of this month. 

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