The legal battles between Gary Kremen and Stephen Michael Cohen finally appear to have come to a conclusion: The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Cohen’s latest appeal of the $65 million judgment against him for stealing the domain Sex.com.
Monday’s loss was Cohen’s second unsuccessful appeal to the land’s highest court. His first appeal was denied in 2003.
“The case is over. That’s the end of it,” Cohen says. “He won. I lost. I knew my chances were very, very slim, but I needed to take that shot, and I took it.”
Cohen was convicted of stealing Sex.com from Kremen in 2001. In addition to the return of the domain, Kremen was awarded $65 million by the court. Cohen subsequently fled the country and appealed the $65 million judgment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District and lost.
Kremen says he believes Cohen’s string of unsuccessful litigation may finally be over as well. “It should be over, but you never know with this kook,” he says.
Although the case itself likely is finished, Kremen continues to pursue his nemesis. On Sept. 30, U.S. District Court judge James Ware awarded Kremen the rights to personal property, bank accounts, and domain names deemed to be owned by Cohen and located in the U.S. The award follows that of Cohen’s former Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., mansion, which Kremen took after the original judgment in 2001.
Kremen estimates the current haul of property, which includes some rather pricey communications equipment, will only bring him a couple hundred thousand dollars when he sells it. Cohen, who claims to be in Tijuana at the moment, says none of the property in question belongs to him and echoed his recurring mantra.
“It has no effect on me one way or another. Kremen will never recover anything from me,” he says. “The value of his judgment is worth a used piece of toilet paper.”
Cohen went on to say he was content with his life and even prodded Kremen to pursue him further.
“I really don’t give a shit what he does,” Cohen says. “I encourage him to spend his money.”
