A lawsuit filed by billionaire real estate magnate Stefan Soloviev and his teenage son Hayden, alleging that the younger Soloviev suffered “tremendous pain of mind and body” during a school trip to Chile, Uruguay and Patagonia, was dismissed last week in a biting ruling from a judge who said the duo had “failed to state a cause of action.”
In the complaint, Hayden Soloviev said that teacher-chaperones from the pricey Ross School in East Hampton had encouraged students to drink whiskey on a glacier hike, which made him feel uncomfortable, and that one teacher declared in a toast, “What happens on the glacier stays on the glacier.”
Soloviev alleged that he was subsequently ostracized, that an Instagram account he had been overseeing for the trip was temporarily reassigned without justification, and that he finally flew home early after a teacher verbally “bullied” him, leading him to fear for his safety.
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He said that the conduct ultimately forced him to unenroll from Ross.
The Solovievs had sued Ross, along with its former head of school and four teachers who chaperoned the trip, seeking at least $10 million in damages over claims that included breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and negligence.
Judge William Condon of New York Supreme Court did not buy their arguments.
“There are no claims of physical abuse, contact or unwanted approaches of any kind but rather… a few frustrated words from a teacher who was chaperoning the trip,” he wrote in the order, which granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss.
The judge also seemed incredulous over the plaintiffs’ assertion that Hayden Soloviev had endured “suffering that knows no boundaries” which "prevented him from obtaining the full enjoyment of life" simply because he had watched “others drink a thimbleful of celebratory local whiskey upon climbing a glacier.”
Stefan Soloviev—whose father, Sheldon Solow, was worth an estimated $4.4 billion when he died in 2020—declined to comment, other than to say he disagreed with the judge’s decision and was contemplating next steps. Hayden Soloviev did not immediately respond to an Instagram message seeking comment.
“We are pleased with the court ruling as we take safety and student well being as a top priority,” said Ross’ interim head of school, Charles Abelmann.
This was not Stefan Soloviev’s only suit this year. In January he and his partner, Gina Cherrix, sued a Jane Doe for allegedly using anonymous Instagram accounts to send Cherrix messages suggesting that Soloviev was trying to “initiate a relationship with [the defendant] or another woman.”
In their complaint, they said that the fabricated messages had caused a strain on their relationship.
Their attorneys voluntarily discontinued the lawsuit in July; Soloviev said the matter was dropped “because we solved it.”
