He Brought the Deal. She Took the Commission: Broker Alleges Breach in Multi-Million Dollar St. Croix Sale

A promised 30% commission on a real estate transaction is the subject of a new lawsuit in District Court. The plaintiff, California-based real estate broker Adam Press, claims that local counterpart April Newland stiffed him out of a promised commission on a lucrative St. Croix property deal. Mr. Press and Ms. Newland were introduced in 2017 by a mutual friend. Over the course of several conversations and emails, Ms. Newland reportedly indicated to Mr. Press that she was in the practice of offering “referral fees to industry colleagues who introduced her to real estate opportunities that resulted in deals,” the lawsuit says. She would be happy to do so in the case of Mr. Press, she said. In 2021, Mr. Press brought her just such an opportunity. He had developed a working arrangement with a landowner who held over 2000 acres on St. Croix's west end. “As one of the largest contiguous undeveloped tracts in the U.S. Virgin Islands, it offers unique natural assets and significant developme...