By Morgan Cook
A La Jolla jeweler being sued by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, for allegedly lying to them about the value of diamonds he sold the couple has claimed in court records that Brees needed cash and tried to extort it from him.
According to the ongoing lawsuit filed earlier this year in San Diego Superior Court, jeweler Vahid Moradi and his companies CJ Charles Jewelers and Vahid Moradi Inc. recommended and sold to the couple about $15 million in investment-grade diamonds — which, the couple learned last year, were only worth about $6 million.
The discrepancy came to light last year after the couple hired an independent appraiser to determine the stones’ market value ahead of the couple’s annual review of their finances, according to the complaint. Drew Brees, who played for the San Diego Chargers from 2001 to 2005, then confronted Moradi about the discrepancy.
In a court record filed late last month, Moradi attributed the couple’s lawsuit to a case of buyer’s remorse and a need for quick cash.
Full Article -- San Diego Union-Tribune
