Downey threatened with defamation suit

Wine authentication expert, Maureen Downey, has had a defamation lawsuit filed against her by Dragon 8 founder, Gil Lempert-Schwarz.

The suit was filed in Las Vegas last week with Lempert-Schwarz (who is chairman of The Wine Institute of Las Vegas) claiming that Downey (pictured) has made and continues to make “false, defamatory, disparaging and highly damaging” statements against both him and his business.

The spat stems from a recent auction in Hong Kong conducted by Lempert-Schwarz’s new auction house, Dragon 8, last month.

Before the sale LA-based lawyer Don Cornwell raised several concerns about the authenticity and provenance of several lots.

It was later revealed that 18 lots were withdrawn from the sale as a result, although Lempert-Schwarz told the drinks business he believed, “none of the wine in question as well as any wine sold in the auction, has any authenticity issues.”

Nevertheless, he added, the wines in question would “never” appear again at a Dragon 8 sale.

Although the suit has been filed, it has not been filed in Downey’s home state of California and as a result, she told Decanter, she has not been “served” with the complaint.

She added she would be “very prepared” to respond if served with a summons but that she had been threatened before with similar suits (she did not make it clear if they came from Lempert-Schwarz) and that they had never come to anything.