Tony Hsieh’s assistant Mimi Phan wants millions from estate

Tony Hsieh’s longtime assistant and her boyfriend are seeking hundreds of millions dollars from the late tech mogul’s estate because of business deals the trio entered, recent court documents show.

Hsieh died nearly a year ago at age 46 from injuries suffered in a Connecticut house fire. His father, Richard, and his brother, Andrew, are overseeing the estate of the former Zappos boss.

Lawyers for Jennifer “Mimi” Pham, Richard Schonfeld and David Chesnoff, filed papers Friday arguing that Pham and her boyfriend, Roberto Grande, are entitled to $82.5 million, plus 5.25 percent interest on the money they are owed.

Pham filed lawsuits early this year alleging contracts she had with Hsieh were not being honored. In early March, she filed more than $90 million worth of creditor’s claims against his estate.

The latest claim also included a request for $1.75 million that attorneys argued should have been paid to Grande but was instead paid to Baby Monster LLC, an entity co-managed by Pham. Pham and Grande asked a judge for $75 million in profits from Pickled Entertainment LLC since Pham’s company, Mr. Taken LLC, began managing Hsieh’s former enterprise in August 2020.

Pham also filed claims for multiple golf carts, bikes, furniture, artwork and clothing stored in a warehouse Hsieh owned.

The documents stated that Hsieh’s cousin, Connie Yeh, signed on as Hsieh’s power of attorney in October 2017 and again in July 2020. She had authority to control his real estate, stocks, assets, insurance and legal affairs.

Legal filings from August stated Hsieh used ketamine and nitrous oxide beginning in November 2017. The drug usage resulted in delusions, sleep deprivation and an extremely malnourished Hsieh for the last three years of his life.

Susan Baleson, the owner of The Wellth Collective, LLC, also is seeking a total $8,765,981.60, for work Baleson said her company performed on behalf of Hsieh in Park City, Utah, according to court documents filed this week in the probate case.

Baleson met Hsieh in the spring of 2012 while interviewing for Resort Gaming Group, which managed the real estate arm of Hsieh’s Downtown Project fund, according to the claim. Hsieh later asked Baleson to work with him on “several projects” in Park City “in a similar capacity to previous work — including, without limitation, the sourcing and acquisition of real estate, team management and events,” the claim said.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.