Rabbi loses bid to dismiss Fontainebleau Miami Beach defamation lawsuit

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach lost his bid to toss out a defamation lawsuit accusing him of smearing Billionaire Jeff Soffer’s Fontainebleau Miami Beach. On Sept. 16, U.S. District Judge Michael Moore denied Boteach’s motion to dismiss the complaint, filed by the affiliate of Soffer’s Aventura-based Fontainebleau Development that owns the iconic waterfront resort at 4441 Collins Avenue. The hotel’s ownership entity is seeking punitive damages against Boteach, whose real name is Jacob Shmuel Botach. In its December 2024 federal complaint, Fontainebleau Miami Beach alleges Boteach spent weeks falsely accusing the 1,504-key hotel’s owner and staff on his social media accounts of […]This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story.