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A yacht broker who says he introduced the current owner of the yacht Nixie to her previous owner has filed a lawsuit. He’s seeking a commission on the sale, despite the buyer and seller concluding the deal without him.
The Cecil Wright & Partners brokerage firm, headed by Chris Cecil-Wright, is seeking €17.5 million ($20.16 million). The amount is equivalent to a five-percent commission on the selling price for the 336-foot (102.4-meter) superyacht. The lawsuit is against Nik Storonsky, the current owner of the yacht Nixie. A British citizen, Storonsky is also a tech executive, the founder of the financial technology company Revolut. “It’s very rare for brokers to find themselves in this situation, and it’s the first time I have done so,” Cecil-Wright tells the Financial Times. “But I feel strongly about it, hence am taking action.”
According to court documents, Storonsky Family Ltd., Storonsky’s family office, contacted the brokerage firm in October 2024. It requested assistance in building a yacht. Several months later, a family-office representative contacted the firm again, inquiring about buying an interim yacht. Cecil-Wright states that he suggested acquiring the yacht Nixie, which was still in build at Lürssen. Futhermore, the lawsuit alleges, Storonsky’s representative informed Cecil-Wright in January this year that Storonsky worked directly with the seller.
That prompted Cecil Wright & Partners to file the lawsuit this month in the UK’s High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts. Specifically, Cecil-Wright is claiming he was the “effective cause” of the sale. The term is one which British courts—as well as U.S. courts—typically used to determine whether a commission is actually due in similar situations. Effective cause means the broker is the reason the transaction was able to occur. The broker introduced the seller to the buyer, for example, or introduced the buyer to the seller. Cecil Wright & Partners therefore claims Storonsky went “behind its back” to avoid having to pay the commission.
We reached out to Hannaford Turner, the law firm representing Storonsky. We didn’t receive a response by press time. But, a spokesperson for Storonsky Family Ltd. informs the Financial Times that the case is “without merit and will be defended.”
As the current owner of the yacht Nixie, Storonsky took delivery several weeks ago. Nixie has several features that wrap her guests in wellness. For instance, the beach club devotes 1,550 square feet (144 square meters) of its overall 2,906 square feet (270 square meters of space—with four hatches open—to a gym. It includes a cryotherapy chamber and steam shower. Notably, Nixie has the biggest beach club to date aboard a Lürssen. Up on the sundeck, meanwhile, a sauna, a steam room, a massage room, and a beauty salon are all within a spa.