Jessica Simpson Goes After 'Con Men' for Allegedly Trying to Scam Her Out of $12 Million
By TheBlast Staff on October 28, 2018 at 11:31 PM EDT
Jessica Simpson is suing two “professional con men” she claims tried to scam her and her family out of $12 million, saying the guys worked their way into her life by befriending her father years ago.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Simpson – through her company, With You, Inc. – filed suit against two men, Jeffrey Bowler and Bret Saxon, over their claim they are owed money from the sale of a majority stake in her Jessica Simpson brand.
Simpson claims the two men randomly met her father Joe in Beverly Hills in 2010 and she believes they saw a potential target. She claims the men befriended her father to leverage their relationship with him to secure an easy payday through Simpson.
In 2014, Simpson entered into discussions with a company called Sequential Brands Group about them purchasing a stake in her brand. She claims Bowler and Saxon caught wind of it and tried to insert themselves into the sale.
Simpson claims Bowler and Saxon reached out to Joe and asked him to put them in touch with Jessica’s business manager, David Levin. They connected, and Simpson claims Saxon told Levin he would put him in touch with an exec at Sequential.
According to Simpson, by arranging a meeting, Saxon and Bowler felt they were entitled to a 10% finder's fee, citing a previous arrangement they claimed to have had with Joe Simpson.
The sale was finalized in 2015 for a reported $120 million, a deal Jessica says the guys had no part in. Within weeks, Saxon showed up to her business manager's office demanding his 10%. Levin told him he had no knowledge of such a deal.
Simpson says she later learned Sequential paid Saxon $250,000 for introducing them to Levin.
Bowler originally sued Simpson, her family and company for his alleged $12 million finder’s fee owed. The singer and her family have been battling it out in court for years denying they owed a dime.
Jessica is now taking it a step forward and counter-suing Saxon and Bowler seeking unspecified damages for their actions.
