The stockbroker billionaire, Sidney Frankel, was served with a civil lawsuit on 19 June initiated by seven people who accused him of sexually abusing them three decades ago.
Advocate Stacey Barbaglia, senior counsel for the seven, divulged to Fourways Review on 24 June that the number of complainants has ballooned to nine. “Two more are joining and we expect more to come out,” said Barbaglia.
Nicole Levenstein, Paul Diamond, George and Katherine Rosenberg, Daniela McNally, Lisa Wegner and Shane Rothquel are each claiming R5 million in damages.
However, Advocate Billy Gundelfinger’s office, which is representing Frankel, told Fourways Review that they received summonses bearing names of seven plaintiffs.
In the court papers, it was alleged that Frankel ‘sexually assaulted the plaintiffs when they were children and at a time when they were between the ages of seven to 15 years old at five different locations’.
Barbaglia said the two new people claiming sexual assault might join the initial seven or be added at a later stage.
She said the case could be in court within one month, and claimed they have a watertight case against the local billionaire.
“We absolutely have a good case. He abused children for decades,” alleged Barbaglia, who requested people with fresh information to contact her at stacey.b@mweb.co.za.
The court papers also claim that the seven plaintiffs ‘suffered sexual assaults’ at a property in Abbotsford, Johannesburg; at a horse farm in Kyalami, a game farm in Buffelshoek in Mpumalanga; the Arcadia Jewish Children’s Home – at the time in Parktown; and at Frankel’s home.
