Two members of the Durst real estate family are suing the centrist political group No Labels, saying its pursuit of a possible third-party presidential bid is a breach of contract.
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Douglas Durst, left, and Jonathan Durst in 2010. A suit they filed in New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday seeks damages and reimbursements after they donated $145,000 to No Labels years ago.
Two members of the powerful Durst real estate family in New York have sued the centrist group No Labels, accusing it of pulling a “bait and switch” by seeking donations for a bipartisan governing group and then moving to fund a third-party presidential candidacy.
The breach of contract and “unjust enrichment” suit was filed in New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday by the chairman and president of the Durst Organization, Douglas and Jonathan Durst, who are cousins. It seeks damages and reimbursements after the Dursts donated $145,000 years ago, when No Labels was founded on the promise of finding governing solutions.
The suit is an escalation of complaints that have trailed the group for much of the last few years, and it suggests that No Labels has morphed into something other than its original mission ahead of the 2024 election.
“This case seeks to hold No Labels accountable for the consequences of its misguided actions that have left its original benefactors like the Dursts feeling bewildered, betrayed and outraged,” the suit says.
“No Labels has shifted seismically from its original mission, and its donors, like the Dursts, who believed in the mission and financially supported it, should not have to stand idly by,” the suit contends, adding that had “No Labels ever given any indication that it might pursue such a gambit, the Dursts never would have funded the organization.”
“That is because, in a presidential election, anyone who votes for a third-party candidate votes on neither side,” the suit says. “Indeed, no third-party candidate has ever won a presidential election or even come close to doing so.”
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Source: nytimes.com
