Exclusive: Judge Throws Out Billion-Dollar Suit Against Yacht Brokers

Says Plaintiffs Don't Have the Facts To Proceed

Judge Michael Moore’s ruling in favor of yacht broker defendants was hailed by Paul Flannery, president of the International Yacht Brokers Association.

But the American legal system inhabits the land of long goodbyes. Moore also allowed the plaintiffs 21 days to come up with a more convincing complaint if they wanted to stay in the game.

Ya Mon vs. the International Yacht Brokers Association et al. was supposed to be the case that changed the way Americans buy and sell boats. This morning a federal judge in Miami threw out the billion-dollar lawsuit, saying the plaintiffs had failed to present a factual basis for keeping the litigation alive.

U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore granted a motion to dismiss the case in favor of big brokerage houses, broker associations and the multiple listing services that serve them. There were 17 of these defendants, represented by more than 50 attorneys.