Sotheby's must face Russian billionaire oligarch's art fraud lawsuit

FILE PHOTO: People walk outside of Sotheby's building during a press preview before Sotheby’s November auctions in New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said Sotheby's must face part of Russian billionaire oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev's lawsuit accusing the auction house of helping his former art dealer overcharge him by hundreds of millions of dollars on 15 pieces of world-class art.

In a 76-page decision on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman said Sotheby's must face fraud-related claims related to "Salvator Mundi," a depiction of Christ attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, and works by Gustav Klimt, Rene Magritte and Amedeo Modigliani.