Luxe Listings Sydney co-creators James Kennedy and Ben Scott go head-to-head in Supreme Court stoush
A slick property show has got messy for co-creators James Kennedy and Ben Scott, who are going head-to-head amid claims of shady dealings and lost revenue stemming from their business partnership.
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A massive falling out between the two co-creators of hit Aussie reality TV show Luxe Listings Sydney has turned ugly, with one suing the other in the NSW Supreme Court over allegations of shady business dealings and lost revenue.
Benjamin Scott, the brains behind the Amazon-streamed show and who once worked with Kyle Sandilands on reality TV series Meet the Hockers, has launched legal action against jewellery baron and money man James Kennedy, chairman of Kennedy Luxury Group, in a case that lifts the lid on the inner workings of the behemoth that is the reality television industry.
A statement of claim filed by Mr Scott in the Supreme Court reveals Channel 10 almost picked up the series before it ultimately ended up with Amazon, which acquired all ownership and rights to the production for a lump-sum payment of US$30,000, plus US$15,000 per episode paid to Kentel Australasia, the production company then jointly run by Mr Scott and Mr Kennedy.
The TV show, which follows three elite Sydney agents as they negotiate the sale of some of the city’s most exclusive real estate, was a hit with fans all over the world and quickly became Amazon’s most viewed Australian original program.
But court documents reveal Mr Scott, a close business associate of Sydney identity Fadi Ibrahim who first met Mr Kennedy when the two were in high school together, was not on-board with the show’s final placement.
He claimed Channel 10’s reason for pulling out of the agreement at the eleventh hour was never disclosed to him, and that Mr Kennedy negotiated the Amazon deal behind his back.
Mr Scott alleges in the statement of claim that the Amazon agreement was “not in the best interest of Kentel Australasia”, which lost all ownership, copyright and creative control over the show, as well as future income from product placement deals, allegedly resulting in a significant financial loss to the company.
He also claims Mr Kennedy tried to divert business opportunities for the development of new TV shows away from Kentel from early 2022 by setting up new production companies listing himself as the sole director.
The series allegedly flagged for production include a show about horse racing in collaboration with punting website Ladbrokes; a new show with the working title The New Addition; another series described only in bank statements as Sporting Show; and a spin-off of Luxe Listings, based in Perth.
Mr Scott further claims Mr Kennedy also misallocated or misappropriated money from Kentel Australasia while acting as its director, including paying $178,000 to the chief executive of his own production companies and transferring tens of thousands of dollars from Kentel’s ATO refunds into bank accounts associated with Kennedy Racing Group Pty Ltd.
In court documents filed in defence to the statement of claim, Mr Kennedy denied any deal had been inked with Channel 10 for Luxe Listings Sydney, saying the network rejected a pilot produced by a third-party but overseen by Mr Scott because it was “of poor quality”.
Mr Kennedy also rejected claims from Mr Scott that he wasn’t privy to the Amazon negotiations, saying Mr Scott was present and involved in the talks and signed off on the agreement when it was presented to Kentel Australasia.
Mr Kennedy further refuted allegations he’d misappropriated money from Kentel. He said all transfers were either for legitimate purposes or — where an error had occurred in relation to the Kennedy Racing transfers - the sum was then deducted from the balance of a loan owed by Kentel to Mr Kennedy, which as of June 2022 was $468,719.40.
Mr Sandilands and Mr Ibrahim are not connected to the proceedings and are not accused of any wrongdoing.
The case will return to court at a later date.
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