Jerry Seinfeld sued a California dealer in classic cars Monday, saying the company has left the comedian stranded in a dispute over whether a 1958 Porsche he sold is authentic.
Seinfeld sought unspecified damages in his lawsuit in Manhattan federal court from European Collectibles of Costa Mesa, California.
"Mr. Steinfeld, who is a very successful comedian, does not need to supplement his income by building and selling counterfeit sports cars," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit said Seinfeld owns one of the world's largest collections of Porsches and had never dealt with the California company before it solicited his agent to propose his purchase of the vintage vehicle.
The suit comes weeks after Seinfeld was sued by a company that says it bought the comedian's Porsche for $1.5 million only to learn it was fake.
European Collectibles didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.
In the lawsuit, Seinfeld says he bought the car from European Collectibles for $1.2 million in February 2013. The suit says he relied on the company's certificate of authenticity.
Seinfeld then sold the car in March 2016 to Fica Frio Limited, based in the Channel Islands. Fica Frio, which sued Seinfeld earlier this month, wants to recover the money it spent on the sale and all costs it has incurred.
The lawsuit said that after Fica Frio sued, Seinfeld "promptly contacted" European Collectibles to demand that it resolve the dispute directly with Fica Frio.
"To date, European Collectibles has refused to do so," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit alleged that the Seinfeld purchase was not the first time European Collectibles was alleged to have sold a restored Porsche that was alleged by a disgruntled collector to be inauthentic.
The lawsuit said it seeks to "reveal the extent to which European Collectibles deploys fraudulent practices in connection with its restoration and sale of classic cars."
Orin Snyder, Seinfeld's lawyer, said in a statement Monday that Seinfeld relied on the certificate of authenticity when he bought the car and sold it three years later.
"Jerry has no liability in this matter, but he wants to do the right thing, and is therefore bringing this action to hold European Collectibles accountable for its own certification of authenticity, and to allow the court to determine the just outcome," he said.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s parliament on Tuesday approved a measure that criminalizes a broad range of activities that can hinder navigation and commerce in the South American country, such as the seizure of oil tankers.
The bill — introduced, debated and approved within two days in the National Assembly — follows this month's seizures by U.S. forces of two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil in international waters. The seizures are the latest strategy in U.S. President Donald Trump's four-month pressure campaign on Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro.
The tankers are part of what the Trump administration has said is a fleet Venezuela uses to evade U.S. economic sanctions.
The unicameral assembly, which is controlled by Venezuela's ruling party, did not publish drafts on Tuesday nor the final version of the measure. But as read on the floor, the bill calls for fines and prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone who promotes, requests, supports, finances or participates in “acts of piracy, blockades or other international illegal acts” against commercial entities operating with the South American country.
Venezuela's political opposition, including Nobel Peace laureate María Corina Machado, has expressed support for Trump's Venezuela policy, including the seizure of tankers. Machado and Trump have both repeatedly said that Maduro's days in power are numbered.
The bill, which now awaits Maduro’s signature, also instructs the executive branch to come up with “incentives and mechanisms for economic, commercial and other protections” for national or foreign entities doing business with Venezuela in the event of piracy activities, a maritime blockade or other unlawful acts.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday seized a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries that officials said was part of the fleet moving sanctioned cargo. With assistance from the U.S. Navy, it seized a rogue tanker called Skipper on Dec. 10. That ship was registered in Panama.
Trump, after that first seizure, said the U.S. would carry out a “blockade” of Venezuela. He later demanded that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of the blockade against sanctioned oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country.
At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council called by Venezuela, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz on Tuesday stressed that sanctioned oil tankers “operate as the primary economic lifeline for Maduro and his illegitimate regime.”
“Maduro’s ability to sell Venezuela’s oil enables his fraudulent claim to power and his narco-terrorist activities,” Waltz said. “The United States will impose and enforce sanctions to the maximum extent to deprive Maduro of the resources he uses to fund Cartel de los Soles.”
Maduro was indicted in 2020 on narcoterrorism charges in the U.S. and accused of leading the Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization last month. But the entity is not a cartel per se.
Venezuelans began using the term Cartel de los Soles in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking military officers who had grown rich from drug-running. As corruption expanded nationwide, its use loosely expanded to police and government officials as well as activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking.
At Tuesday's meeting, Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada accused the U.S. of acting “outside international law” and its own domestic laws, by demanding that Venezuelans vacate the country and hand it over to the Trump administration, including all its oil fields.
“What right does the United States government have to appropriate, to date, almost 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil?” Moncada asked, referring to the cargo of the two seized tankers. “This alleged naval blockade is essentially a military act aimed at laying siege to the Venezuelan nation, degrading its economic and military apparatus, weakening its social and political cohesion, and causing internal chaos to facilitate aggression by external forces.”
Many countries expressed concern about violations of international maritime law and adhering to the United Nations Charter, which requires all 193 member nations to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every other country. The United States’ actions were supported by a few countries, including Panama and Argentina.
Associated Press writer Edith Lederer in New York contributed to this report.
Lawmaker Giuseppe Alessandrello gives a speech during an extraordinary session at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Evana, an oil tanker, is docked at El Palito port in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
