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Grant Cardone sues John Legere for calling him ‘biggest bulls**t artist on the planet’ and other insults
In his lawsuit, multifamily mogul claims his brand suffered $100M loss in value due to former T-Mobile CEO’s comments
From left: Grant Cardone and John Legere (Getty)
Grant Cardone is 10X mad at his onetime pal, former T-Mobile CEO John Legere.
In June of last year, Legere called Cardone “the biggest bullshit artist on the planet” and other alleged slanderous insults during an online group chat that was widely circulated on social media platforms, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
Cardone, who leads Aventura-based Cardone Capital, sued Legere for defamation in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Thursday. Cardone is a social media influencer and business advice guru who has built a national multifamily empire by crowdfunding capital from everyday investors. He has multiple businesses and properties that operate under his 10X banner, including the 456-unit 10X Las Olas Walk in Fort Lauderdale and the 346-unit 10X Miami River in Miami.
In his complaint, Cardone alleges that Legere’s personal attacks resulted in his brand losing $100 million in value, which is how much the multifamily mogul is seeking in damages.
Legere did not respond to a phone voice message and a direct message on his Instagram account. In 2019, Legere moved to a Naples waterfront mansion a year before stepping down as T-Mobile’s top executive.
“Without discussing the case itself, there has been a tremendous amount of financial damage done because of his comments,” Cardone told The Real Deal. “It escalated from us being very friendly to him, [to] becoming extremely antagonistic toward me, my brand and my business — making wild, crazy allegations that have no validity, proof or research.”
Cardone, who has more than 10 million online followers, and Legere, who has amassed six million online followers, met in 2015. At the time, Cardone came on a video chat hosted by Legere on the streaming application Periscope, in which the then-T-Mobile CEO “made it a point to compliment Cardone for his astute business practices and positive influence on people,” the lawsuit states.
Over the next six years, the pair “shared a positive and productive relationship,” in which they worked together on philanthropic endeavors, as well as hosting online group chats on a variety of topics via social media platforms such as Clubhouse and Spaces on X, formerly known as Twitter, the lawsuit states.
Their relationship started souring in 2021 with Legere becoming “hostile toward Cardone…when the audience favored Cardone’s opinions on certain topics,” the complaint alleges. Legere allegedly resorted to personally attacking Cardone’s background, his physical appearance, his reputation and his religion, Scientology.
During some of the online chats, audience members allegedly accused Legere of “being drunk, slurring his words, and appearing jealous and envious of Cardone’s self-made status,” the complaint states. After privately asking Legere to stop the personal attacks, the ex-T-Mobile CEO instead escalated the vitriol against Cardone, the lawsuit alleges.
Over the summer, Legere ripped into Cardone during an argument both of them had during a live group chat, including the comment about being the “biggest bulls**t artist on the planet,” the lawsuit states. After questioning Cardone’s sobriety, Legere called him a “[f**king] con-man” and said, “I believe that Grant Cardone will be found guilty of fraud.”
The exchange was reposted on social media platforms, including Youtube, where audio of the group chat has accumulated millions of views, the lawsuit states.
Two individuals who claim they regularly logged into the group chats said Cardone’s allegations are true. During the June 2023 group chat, the audience included people who were initially interested in investing with Cardone, but then questioned getting involved because of Legere’s comments, marketing consultant Alan Lazar told TRD via text.
“Legare [had a] high-profile [position] at T-Mobile,” Lazar said. “He carried a lot of influence with the audience. So naturally [Legere’s] claims about Cardone caused people to second guess him.”
Magda Khalifa, owner of Triangle Fragrance, an Aventura-based perfume and cologne maker, said via text that people she had recommended to invest with Cardone or seek his business advice “have been deterred by what they read/heard” about him.
As the former head of one of the largest companies in the U.S., Legere “knows better” than to make unfounded accusations, Cardone told TRD.
“He knows they can cause damage,” Cardone said. “He knows the importance of marketing. He intentionally sought to damage that trust I have with the public.”