A U.S. jury has ordered Indian-origin businessman Haresh Jogani to pay over $2 billion in damages to his four brothers in a 21-year legal dispute. The brothers must also divide their vast Southern California property empire worth billions of dollars.The empire includes around 17,000 apartments across Los Angeles. The 2003 lawsuit saw 18 appeals, multiple lawyers and judges before finally concluding with the multibillion dollar verdict this week. The case began over claims Haresh Jogani breached a partnership with his siblings. A hearing on additional punitive damages is scheduled for Monday.Some lawyers have drawn comparisons to the fictional Victorian-era court case in Charles Dickens novel Bleak House. But unlike that case, billions remain to be distributed here.The Jogani brothers, originally from Gujarat, built a fortune in the global diamond trade and real estate. In the 1990s, as properties struggled, the brothers jointly managed the business. But according to the 2003 suit, Haresh Jogani later removed his brother Shashikant from the company and refused to pay him. This happened after acquiring 17,000 units.Haresh contended that no partnership existed without a written agreement. But the court found he breached an oral contract, common in the diamond industry and the Gujarati community.After decades of appeals, allegations of racial bias, and accusations by Haresh, the jury concluded Shashikant owns 50% of the partnership. It awarded the 77-year-old an initial $1.8 billion in damages this week.
