Local News in Brief : A Gem of a Legal Case

The Swiss branch of the famed art auction house Sotheby’s sued palimony lawyer Marvin Mitchelson Thursday, claiming that he failed to pay $1.1 million he owes for Cartier jewelry that belonged to the Duchess of Windsor.

The flamboyant Mitchelson purchased the jewelry at a Sotheby’s S.A. Geneve auction last April 2 and 3 at the Hotel Beau-Rivage in Geneva, Switzerland, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Mitchelson reportedly agreed to pay 1.4 million Swiss francs--about $1.1 million--for a gold, turquoise, amethyst and diamond bib necklace and a sapphire pendant with diamonds, the lawsuit said.

Mitchelson, a sometime art collector who boasted that he is “worth more than the jewelry,” said the dispute centers on his desire to pay for the necklaces in U.S. dollars rather than Swiss francs.

“It would save me a couple hundred thousand dollars,” he said. “It’s just a little tiff. I’m certain we’ll work it out.”

Mitchelson, who represented “Dynasty” star Joan Collins in her recent divorce from Swedish businessman Peter Holm, added that the necklace was for his wife and the sapphire, which he said was 206 carats, for “an undisclosed client.”