The $165 million man

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Last night we complained that little has been written about Leonard M. Ross, the owner of the Beverly Hills estate offered at $165 million. Tonight we stand corrected, by a more diligent (Is there any other kind?) colleague at the L.A. Times.

Turns out Ross has been in the news -- in a case dating from 1988, the attorney-investor successfully sued the Santa Barbara News-Press for libel after the paper wrongly implied he had been investigated for defrauding investors. Key to the ruling in Ross’ favor was the court’s opinion that Ross was a not a public figure; the court held he was a private figure who had not sought publicity.

Which may explain, in part, why our trademark, 20-second search came up empty: Not only does the guy claim to be a private figure, but the courts have backed him up on it.

Photo Credit: RealEstalker