The Goldman family’s Solil Management and a Harlem church have been drawn into a legal dispute between the late developer Brandon Miller and an insurance company.
The dispute stems from an indemnity agreement that Miller allegedly signed on behalf of Solil and Greater Emanuel Baptist Church without their knowledge. Miller was listed as the signatory on the 2018 agreement, in which his company, Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC), obtained a mechanic’s lien bond for its ill-fated Harlem life sciences building at 2226 Third Avenue.
The document lists several entities as responsible for backing the bond, including Solil’s 313-315 West 125th Street LLC and 325 East 118th Street Holdings LLC, which is owned by the church. Miller’s name appears beneath a signature on the document, which identifies him as a “member” of both entities.
Westchester Fire Insurance Company, a subsidiary of insurance giant Chubb, is suing Miller’s estate, his widow Candice, REEC West 125th Street, REEC, the church and Solil to recover $150,000 paid to settle a construction dispute, plus more than $100,000 in legal fees.
But Solil and the church have challenged the agreement, arguing that Miller was not affiliated with either one and had no authority to sign on their behalf.
“The individual whose purported signature appears on the indemnity agreement” on behalf of Solil “was not ever a member of or affiliated with (Solil) or authorized to bind the answering defendant to any contract or contractual obligation,” a recent court filing states.
In court papers, Solil argues that the agreement was executed with “reckless disregard” for whether the signatory was authorized to represent the entity, rendering it “void and unenforceable.” Solil and the church are also asking a judge to dismiss the claims against them.
REEC once held the ground leases on both properties. The company took over the leasehold at 313-315 West 125th Street in 2015 but lost it to foreclosure several years later. Solil owns the underlying land. At 325 East 118th Street, REEC signed a ground lease in March 2018, according to property records. The church, which owns the land, appears to have since moved on from the arrangement.
Lawyers for the church, Solil and Westchester Fire Insurance Company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The dispute adds another layer to the legal and financial fallout from Miller’s real estate business, which was tangled in debt and lawsuits when he died by suicide in July 2024.
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