NXIVM sisters win $3.2M - 2012-07-17
NXIVM sisters win $3.2M July 17, 2012,
ALBANY — A federal judge has ordered a former NXIVM business associate to pay more than $3 million to two sisters who have been major backers of the Colonie-based self-improvement company.
The ruling is a legal victory for Sara and Clare Bronfman, heirs to the Seagram's fortune, who sued to recover $2 million they loaned in 2004 to Joseph J. O'Hara, an attorney who once owned a downtown bar called Broadway Joe's, as well as Albany teams in the Arena Football League and the Continental Basketball Association. O'Hara and the sisters had clashed since he abruptly left the unusual NXIVM organization in 2005, accusing it of misdeeds.
Last month, District Judge Gary Sharpe granted a motion from the Bronfmans and required O'Hara to pay each woman $1 million plus interest. According to court papers, the sums relate to a deal involving two parcels of real estate in New Baltimore and Saratoga Springs.