Client Sues Bryan Cave for $10M, Says Prenup Silent on Capital Gains Tax
A prominent Missouri businessman has sued Bryan Cave for malpractice in St. Louis County Circuit Court, contending that the firm and partner Lawrence Brody botched his prenuptial agreement by failing to address the issue of capital gains tax.
Since a substantial portion of Donald Bryant’s assets were in a high-profile modern art collection—which includes works by Jackson Pollock and Jasper Johns—the appreciation on this investment during his approximately 25-year marriage was substantial, the suit says. It seeks $10 million in damages, alleging that the prenup should have specified that capital gains tax would be deducted from the marital estate before the share due to Bryant’s now-former wife was calculated, reports the National Law Journal in an article reprinted in New York Lawyer (reg. req.).
Brody, through his attorney, declined the legal publication’s request for comment.
Bryant serves as chairman and chief executive of the Bryant Group, a wealth management firm, and owns the Bryant Family Vineyards in Napa Valley in California.