Robert Barth entered the workforce at a time marked by anti-establishment sentiment and free of inflation, he said.
From the early 1970s to now, Barth had a front row seat to the evolution of real estate financing as institutional interest in the realm began to take off and business dynamics saw dramatic change alongside technological developments.
Currently, Barth is the chief executive of Brentwood-based Sonic Equities which specializes in real estate investment and development. He began this venture in 2023 following a 35-year stint at Black Equities in Beverly Hills, where he served as chief executive prior to a falling out with the firm’s founder and chair, Stanley Black. This turned into a five-year legal battle which Barth attributes to Black’s dementia diagnosis. Medical records filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court affirm this diagnosis.
One lawsuit brought by Black in the name of his family trusts alleged Barth had breached fiduciary duties, among other things. This, however, was dismissed several years ago.
Another suit stuck which involved the sale of a single-family residence in Beverly Hills. It alleged that Barth wrongfully pocketed excess profits from the sale that should have gone to Black and other investors. It resolved with an order for Barth to pay $13.4 million to Black and investors. Upon appeal, the suit re-settled for about half of the initial judgement amount, though there was an opt-out option if investors felt they were not wronged.
In the end, court records show that only about 15% of eligible investors, excluding members of the Black family, opted to receive payment – a retroactive win of sorts for Barth.
In a twist, Barth recently teamed up with Black Equities current Chief Executive Zach Zalben, who is Black’s grandson, to co-manage a new entity, BESE Management which stands for Black Equities plus Sonic Equities. This firm will manage $600 million in jointly owned assets between the two entities.
Having…
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