Gwin and his co-defendants disputed the claims, saying it was common to restore European antiques damaged by time and war, according to a 2004 report about the legal battle from the Boston Globe.
Gwin and his co-defendants disputed the claims, saying it was common to restore European antiques damaged by time and war, according to a 2004 report about the legal battle from the Boston Globe.
“This is a fairly incredulous situation,” Gwin said to the Globe. “I sold him 19 objects, and every one of them was a fake? Some of the other dealers sold him large quantities of objects, and all of those were fake, too? We’re prepared to stand behind the things we sold him.”
While Gwin, who was one of more than a dozen sued dealers, hired former director of European furniture for Christie’s for the suit, which turned into a battle over the authenticity of an 18th century armoire, a chandelier and a chaise lounge.
Gwin did admit issues with one item—a $44,000 chaise lounge. He offered a refund, but the Levins argued that Gwin misrepresented the nature of the item in an effort to sell the antiques.
The case settled out of court in 2005, according to Gwin’s attorney at the time, David Steiner.
The lawsuit Gwin filed in a bid to get $500,000 in damages from one of the appraisers, Marshall Fallwell, was dismissed.
Levin did not respond to a call for comment.
Neither did Gwin, who posted bail Thursday and is due in San Francisco Superior Court on Feb. 17 to be arraigned on the assault charge.