Paychex founder Tom Golisano sued the interior decorator of his 73-meter superyacht Laurel. The businessman, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes magazine at $2.7 billion, believes he paid too much for the interior decoration of his yacht and is suing for $400,000 out of $845,000 paid for the decoration materials and the designer's work. Golisano said that the contractor had promised him wholesale prices without any extra fees, but in fact the amounts proposed in the estimate were much higher than the actual cost of the materials.
Golisano hired Norma Goldman of Vitoch Interiors in 2013 to refresh the interior décor of his yacht. According to a lawsuit filed by the client in New York state court in late September, Golisano agreed to pay Goldman $140 an hour on the condition that the materials be supplied without a markup.
Goldman, in turn, denies that she agreed to supply the finishing materials without a markup. She claims that she made a discount to Golisano by charging him less than the manufacturer's stated recommended retail price. For example, the recommended retail price of the fabric the customer received for $12,672 is $15,840, the designer claims. Goldman says she used a similar material pricing system when she decorated one of Golisano's New York homes in 2007 and 2009, and received no complaints from the customer at the time.
The yacht was immediately chartered around the Mediterranean, and continues to be operated as a charter vessel to this day. Laurel, equipped with six luxury cabins and served by a crew of 20, costs $604,000 per week on charter. On that basis, Goldman asked the court to dismiss Golisano's suit, but was denied. If the parties do not reach an agreement, the case will be decided in court.
He was dissatisfied with the amount of taxes on his two New York homes and even announced a move to Florida to save $13,800 a day on taxes.
