Alex Adjmi and Leo Jacobs Fight at Aman Club

A pair of real estate big shots have been banned from the Aman Club after getting into a fight at the exclusive members-only hangout.

Alex Adjmi, whose A&H Acquisition Corp. owns high-end retail in places like Soho and Fifth Avenue, and Leo Jacobs, the brash-talking attorney known for his aggressive legal tactics, got banned from the Aman after an altercation earlier this year.

Jacobs, who’s built like a heavyweight boxer at 6 foot 3 and 235 pounds, claims in a lawsuit against Aman that Adjmi instigated the incident.

“On May 10, 2026 — Mother’s Day — [I] was seated in the Club’s cigar lounge, smoking a cigar and engaging no one,” he wrote in his lawsuit. “Another member of the Club (the “Other Member”) approached [me] unprovoked and struck [me] across the left cheek with an open hand.”

“As Petitioner was bent over from the force of that blow, the Other Member struck Petitioner a second time at the back of the neck,” he continued. “Having absorbed two unanswered strikes and reasonably believing that a third was imminent, Petitioner rose and responded with a single blow in self-defense, ending the assault.”

When reached for comment, Jacobs walked back his initial characterization of the event.

“Alex and I make this joint statement to say that sometimes friends have disagreements but under no circumstances did we as friends ever have a fight,” he said.

Representatives for the Aman did not respond to a request for comment.

On Sept. 29, Jacobs filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court asking a judge to annul the termination and suspension and reinstate him and his sub-members. A week later, he withdrew the case.

Adjmi and Jacobs were both members of the exclusive private club on top of the Crown Building at 730 Fifth Avenue — where a membership costs a $226,000 initiation fee plus dues, which run $15,000 a year.

Celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg, George and Amal Clooney and Tom Hanks are reportedly frequent guests at Aman’s hotels.

Jacobs — founder of Jacobs PC whose real name is Ilevu Yakubov — says that after the Mother’s Day altercation he received an email from Aman on May 20 saying his membership would be suspended due to “conduct that is not aligned with the standards, discretion, and consideration expected within the Aman Club community.”

The suspension was to go until Sept. 1, at which point it would be up for a review.

When the September review came up, Aman informed Jacobs that his membership was being permanently yanked.

“Following further review and consideration, Aman leadership has decided not to reinstate your

Membership,” Aman’s Nada Ridard wrote in an email included as an exhibit in the lawsuit.

Jacobs insisted he did nothing wrong, and defended himself within the bounds of New York law.

“But I defended myself after being hit twice. Not once but twice,” he emailed back. “I defended myself. I did not incite any violence. I’m an attorney with a license, you did not

even allow me to tell my story, but the video should tell the story.”

“What is the lesson in all this?” he continued. “That if you get slapped, then hit, you attempt to walk away? I came there to work. I got hit TWO times before defending myself. I did not say ANYTHING to incite violence. May I kindly see the rules. This is unfair.”

Ridard wrote back that the Aman leadership team considered Jacobs’ request to reconsider and decided to uphold the ban.

“Aman maintains a zero-tolerance policy for violence to preserve and protect the safety, security, and experience of the AmanClub community and guests on-property,” Ridard wrote.

Adjmi’s membership was also terminated, according to Jacobs, though his wife and children (“sub-members” on Adjmi’s account) had their memberships restored. Jacobs said his four sub-members (none of whom were present at the time of the altercation) were permanently terminated.

Lead-up to the rumble

It’s not clear what sparked the altercation at the Aman, though Adjmi and Jacobs do have some previous history.

Jacobs last year represented a borrower who sued Adjmi and his brother, Harry, over a $9.7 million loan they foreclosed on tied to interests in the former Barney’s retail condo at 660 Madison Avenue, as well as properties in Chicago and Beverly Hills.

The judge dismissed the case in April, about two weeks before the Aman incident.

Adjmi is a prominent member of the Syrian Jewish community who owns high-end retail across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Chicago and Los Angeles.

He’s probably most notable for pleading guilty to money laundering in 1996 and receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump in 2021.

Adjmi allegedly helped cover up $22.5 million for the Cali cocaine cartel through a Connecticut brokerage, which was actually an undercover operation run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to the Asbury Park Press. He was arrested in 1993 and went to prison in 1996 after pleading guilty to five felonies. He served 44 months and was released in October 2000.

“Following his release, [Adjmi] has dedicated himself to his community and has supported numerous charitable causes, including support for children with special needs and substance recovery centers,” the White House said.

The White House noted the pardon was supported by numerous community leaders, the Sitt family, Robert Cayre and Haim Chera on behalf of his late father Stanley — Trump’s personal friend who died of the Coronavirus in April 2020.

Adjmi told The Real Deal at the time that he was “humbled and grateful to have received this pardon.”

Jacobs, meanwhile, is a relative newcomer on the scene, who’s carved out a niche for himself representing clients like Michael Stern, Joseph Chetrit and Joseph Moinian who owe personal guarantees.

He’s gained a reputation for allegedly pushing the limits of legal ethics, and has been accused of relying on smear and delay tactics.

Earlier this year he was sued for malpractice by his former client Eli Karp, who alleged Jacobs failed to challenge a $16 million foreclosure judgment.

Jacobs also represented boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the $175 million civil fraud lawsuit he filed against former investment manager Jona Rechnitz, which Mayweather withdrew in September.