CEO of prestige realtor Douglas Elliman quits suddenly amid slew of scandals

The high-profile CEO of realtor giant Douglas Elliman has quit after the company was hit by a plunging share price and amid accusations he ignored rape claims against his star agents.

Howard Lorber faced a shareholder revolt in July after the companys value dropped from $900 million to $130 million in just three years.

And the 74-year-old faces allegations he did nothing when told about claims against Tal and Oren Alexander who, together with their brother Alon, have been accused of sexual assault by at least 30 women.

And anger was stoked when his fellow directors awarded him the maximum permissible award for DEI efforts as part of his $14.5 million pay package in August.

Stockholders deserve to know how the assault and harassment claims were handled by management, shareholder Brad Tirpak wrote.

Howard Lorber has resigned after 21 years as head of real estate giant Douglas Elliman

His last months were dogged by claims he ignored allegations of sexual abuse against his star agents Tal and Oren Alexander 

Broker Jessica Cohen claims she warned Lorber in 2012 that Oren had spiked her drink at a 2010 party in Manhattan before she blacked out for hours and woke up in the hospital.

Another broker told the New York Times that nothing was done after he warned executives about finding Oren attacking Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star Tracy Tutor while she was unconscious in a bathroom after sharing a drink from Oren at a party in 2014.

Tutor, 49, is one of 10 women who told the paper they were sexually assaulted by the brothers, who made a name for themselves brokering luxury properties and showing off their posh lifestyle on social media.

Seven of the women, including Tutor, said they believe they were drugged before being raped by either Tal, 38, or the younger twins Oren and Alon, 37.

And five more industry figures claim they discussed assault claims against the brothers with executives while the pair were still employed.

Staying silent for so long has been damaging on many levels, and remembering now what happened feels debilitating, Tutor said.

Lorber had chaired the company since 2003 and remains chairman of the hot dog chain Nathans Famous.

He served as an economic advisor to Donald Trump and flew with the former president to Moscow in 1996 in a bid to land a skyscraper deal.

Twenty years later, a Trump spokesman named Lorber as among two people who were the president best friends. 

Court documents filed in New York Supreme Court in June and obtained by DailyMail.com accuse all three of the real-estate brothers of raping complainant Angelica Parker in an assault that, she alleges, took place around the fall of 2012.

The New York-based model, formerly known as Angelica Cecora, previously made headlines in 2012 when she accused famous boxer Oscar De La Hoya of battery and false imprisonment in a lawsuit she would ultimately lose.

In a complaint that echoes that brought by Rebecca Mandel and Karen Whiteman, Parker alleges that she was raped by Alon and Tal Alexander, together, in a coordinated attack that was planned and facilitated by Oren Alexander along with his brothers.

Oren is accused of sitting and watching the rapes.

Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star Tracy Tutor claims she was drugged and attacked by Oren at a 2014 party before a colleague of the broker hauled him off

Oren and Alon, (pictured with Tal, center) have since been accused of rape by 30 more women after they were hit with an initial lawsuit brought by two alleged victims in July

Angelica Parker, formerly known as Angelica Cecora, was known as the woman who sued famous boxer Oscar De La Hoya in 2012 for battery and false imprisonment in a legal battle that she ultimately lost 

Mandel, on her part, claims she met Oren and Alexander in 2009 at a now-closed club, SL, when she was just 18 years old.

She said she continued to run into the twins at parties and, in September 2020, bumped into them again at SL where Alon intentionally drugged Plaintiffs drink with an unknown substance, resulting in significant impairment to her physical and mental being.

Mandel claims that the twins then took her back to their apartment where the assault occurred.

Meanwhile Whiteman has alleged that she was raped by the two in 2012 at a castle in the Hamptons owned by Ivan Wilzig and known as Sir Ivans Castle.

Lawyers for the brothers have dismissed the claims as pure fiction and vowed to fight them in court,

It is unfortunate but fully expected that shakedown artists are going to line up given the allegations against Tals brothers, a spokesman for the elder brother said.

However, Tal has done absolutely nothing wrong, and anyone hoping to peddle outrageous lies in hopes of a quick payday are going to find themselves disappointed.

A spokesman for Douglas Elliman said that no allegation against the brothers was ever raised formally with Lorber.

Had any such complaints been received, those complaints would have been thoroughly investigated, he added.

Douglas Elliman extends its deepest appreciation to Mr. Lorber for his strategic vision and years of dedication and hard work that have made Douglas Elliman the countrys premier real estate brokerage firm, setting new standards in luxury service and innovation.