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In Malibu, the upper crust Pacific Ocean enclave near Los Angeles, James Kohlberg, son of the late KKR<\/a> & Co. co-founder Jerome Kohlberg, has accused another business titan of stealing sand.<\/p>\n He is alleging in a lawsuit that a neighbor on Broad Beach Road, Milwaukee Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio, is using heavy machinery to help himself to large scoops of the public beach as part of a construction project.<\/p>\n \u201cThis case is about a private property owner using a public beach as their own personal sandbox and the disturbing conversion of a public natural resource (i.e., sand from Broad Beach) for a nearby homeowner\u2019s personal, private use,\u201d lawyers for Kohlberg wrote in the complaint filed last week in the Beverly Hills branch of Los Angeles state court.\u00a0<\/p>\n Attanasio will \u201caggressively defend\u201d his rights in this legal process, his attorney, Kenneth Ehrlich, said in an emailed statement. Attanasio\u2019s company has complied with requirements in a construction project permit, the lawyer said.<\/p>\n The Broad Beach spat started after Attanasio obtained a permit to do repair work on the seawall at one of his parcels. Conditions in the permit barred the use of heavy machinery in the tidal zone and removal of sand from the public beach, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n Attanasio\u2019s crew used \u201cenormous excavators\u201d to dredge up the sand, disturbing local marine life and draining a beach with \u201chistoric concerns of sand depletion\u201d of even more sand, Kohlberg\u2019s lawyers wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n Malibu, a 21-mile stretch of beachfront, is a getaway for celebrities, tech, and finance billionaires with the most expensive homes ever sold in California.<\/p>\n California has had its share of high-powered people involved in coastal quarrels. To the north, venture capital billionaire Vinod Khosla has waged a\u00a015-year fight<\/a>\u00a0to block public access through his private property to a popular surfing spot near San Francisco. To the south, \u201cBond King\u201d Bill Gross three years ago\u00a0lost his bid\u00a0<\/a>to fend off criminal charges after he tormented his Laguna Beach neighbors by blasting the\u00a0Gilligan\u2019s Island<\/em>\u00a0theme song on outdoor speakers.<\/p>\n Kohlberg claims he contacted California regulators to no avail. The California Coastal Commission launched an investigation but hasn\u2019t taken action to stop the sand-stealing, according to the complaint.\u00a0<\/p>\n The lawsuit cites violations of the California Coastal Act and nuisance claims. Kohlberg is seeking a court order requiring Attanasio to replace the sand and preventing him from taking more of it, as well as monetary fines.<\/p>\n The lawyer for Attanasio said his limited liability company, 2XMD, the legal owner of the Broad Beach Road property, \u201cis in the midst of a fully-permitted emergency repair of the property to protect it from ocean forces.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt has secured all permits necessary for the repairs from the City of Malibu and LA County as well as thoroughly vetted all contractors and sub-contractors involved in the project,\u201d Ehrlich said in his statement. \u201cIt has acted in 100% compliance with all of its permits.\u201d<\/p>\n Kohlberg bought his\u00a0beachfront home<\/a>\u00a0in 2021 for $14.2 million, according to property records. Attanasio paid $23 million in 2007 for one part of\u00a0his property<\/a>\u00a0and $6.6 million for an\u00a0adjacent lot<\/a>\u00a0in 2017.<\/p>\n Attanasio is co-founder of Los Angeles-based Crescent Capital Group, an alternative asset manager with $43 billion under management as of March 31.<\/p>\n Kohlberg is chairman of Kohlberg & Co., a private equity firm founded by his father, who was a pioneer of leveraged buyouts at KKR. Last month, Kohlberg pledged $30 million to finance a center to advocate for reform of the Supreme Court, the Washington Post reported.<\/p>\n The case is Los Trancos Management Services LLC v. 2XMD Partners LLC, 24SMCV03828, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County (Beverly Hills).\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nExpensive Homes<\/h3>\n
California Coastal Act<\/h3>\n
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