Christie’s Sued for $1 Million Over Alleged Fraudulent Sale of Andy Warhol Painting

Andy Warhol is at the center of a $1 million lawsuit against Christie’s Auction House, who stands accused of fraud by the owners of one of the late artist's works.

Randy Catlin, The Estate of Thomas Lopresti and William Beaury sued Christie’s Auction House and James Hogan over the 2006 sale of Andy Warhol’s "Electric Chair" screen print.

The suit explains that the plaintiffs and Hogan purchased the print in 1998 for $4,000. They agreed to have it stored at Hogan’s house until they all decided to sell it.

Christie's

However, the plaintiffs claim Hogan illegally consigned the art to Christie’s without authorization from them in 2006. The screen print was then sold at auction for $6,600 later that year without their permission. They claim they didn't even know about the sale until last year.

They are seeking $1 million in punitive damages plus an additional $50,000.