Trekkie Sues Christie's For $7 Million

Spoiler alert! He loses. So, back to the beginning... a few years ago there was an epic Christie's auction that catered to the world's most crazed fans: Trekkies. Items on the block went for much more than estimated, and the History Channel even streamed the auction action live.

Now one disgruntled fan~~boy~~man has sued the auction house to the tune of $7 million for selling him knock-offs. The NY Post reports that Ted Moustakis claimed Christie's intentionally lied about three items he won at auction, all to do with his favorite character Commander Data. He had scored a $6,600 poker visor, an $11,000 poker table, and a $6,000 uniform — and signed an agreement that the property was being sold "as is."

Moustakis claimed he was told they were "one of a kind," however, and "used by Data himself." But when he met the character IRL, he told him: "That's not my visor." Allegedly more research was done to prove the items were bogus, but yesterday the case was tossed aside anyway. A panel of judges said, he "should just have asked for his money back... not boldly sued for a small fortune."

Not only did the Trekkie lose his case, but when it was first filed even Wil Wheaton (of Star Trek fame!) spoke out against him, saying, "There are no 'one-of-a-kind' spacesuits for regular cast members... I think it's more likely that this guy has buyer's remorse." Amateurs, let's stay out of the auction houses, 'kay?

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By Jen Carlson in News on December 23, 2009 9:48 AM

Comments [rss]

demonfafa

Money back? Really?

Remember the 1st Rule of Acquisition: "Once you have their money, never give it back!"

It's all about aiming high enough that he'll likely get enough to cover the cost of the pseudo-fake merch after winning and after the amount comes down after appeals.

ddvrom

I mean, 7 mill is a lot but can they really jsut toss it considering he has a valid claim- as noted above, this is Christies, a reputable acution house and they shouldn't be selling fake memoriabilia. They should at least refund the dude and cover his legal fees. Although he shoulda reached out to them before getting a lweyer on it.

NannyState

He should have bid on the condoms. No way any of them got used.

Spirit of 76

What a geek. One, Next Generation wasn't even a very good show. Two, it's not like this was Captain Kirk's command chair. That would be worth good money, although IMHO not the $265k it finally went for on eBay.

dkim2015

I don't think he should get a dime. It disgusts me how people think they can sue for ridiculous sums. He should pay for Christie's legal fees.

Also, what kind of lawyer would agree to help sue for $7 million? What kind of legal counsel is that? The lawyer should be sued for malpractice.

F*cking swine

zodak

umm, isn't the lawsuit more about the fact that an auction house was lying to customers? that they mis-represented the items they were selling? & they should be held to a higher standard than someone on ebay? a refund just isn't enough here.

NewHCE

I remember when this auction took place I was thinking, "Man, I wish I had a zillion dollars to buy Captain Picard's flute from the Inner Light episode"

If I had bought it, it would be sitting on my bookshelf and I'd be staring at it thinking what an idiot I was.

That said, I think the guy should at least get his money back if Christie's claimed that.