×
Friday, August 1, 2025

Exclusive | Jilted Barneys heir alleges family evaded $20M in New York taxes -- by falsely claiming late mother lived in Palm Beach - New York Post

A jilted heir to the fallen Barneys luxury dynasty has accused his late mother and siblings of orchestrating an elaborate tax fraud scheme that allegedly cheated New York state out of $20 million, The Post has learned.

Bob Pressman – the 71-year-old grandson of Barney Pressman, who founded the now-defunct retail icon in 1923 – alleges in an explosive lawsuit that his family conspired to avoid New York state income and estate taxes by falsely claiming that his mother Phyllis Pressman resided in West Palm Beach, Fla.

In fact, the widow of retail legend Fred Pressman – who famously transformed his father Barney’s men’s suit business into a luxury empire in the 1960s – had been living year-round in her oceanfront mansion in Southampton, NY for the last six years of her life, the suit claims.

“Phyllis Pressman freely told the people around her that she did not like Florida and did not intend to make it her permanent home,” the complaint alleges.

The estate of Phyllis Pressman – who died last year at 95 and who, according to the suit, “was renowned for her exacting and highly developed taste and sophistication” – is said to be worth upwards of $100 million, according to a source close to the case.

That includes the 2.3-acre, oceanfront spread at 346 Meadow Ln. in Southampton that’s currently on the block for $38.5 million. Her swanky Upper East Side apartment, listed for $3.95 million, is in contract.

Some of the late matriarch’s jewelry and artwork also are slated for auction...



Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi6wFBVV95cUxPZlphdUpkWW5ITlZTOWo3VHRz...