Lucian Bukowski ended his legal dispute with CBRE five months after suing the brokerage giant for allegedly blocking access to his client files, the Houston Business Journal reported.
The longtime Houston office broker asked a Harris County judge to dismiss the case in June. Bukowski and CBRE agreed to settle the matter without further legal action, records show, and each side will pay its own attorney’s fees. The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could technically be refiled.
Bukowski originally filed suit after being fired from CBRE in early February — he joined Stream Realty Partners as a vice chairman just a day after being fired. He alleged that CBRE had violated his employment agreement by locking him out of his work computer and barring him from retrieving client files despite a clause that allowed him to retain those files unless terminated “for cause.”
His complaint didn’t seek damages, only to compel arbitration and enforce what he viewed as a contractual right to keep his book of business. CBRE declined to comment on the lawsuit when it was filed and did not submit a formal response in court.
The lawsuit also included broader allegations of internal friction at CBRE.
Bukowski claimed the firm selectively enforced its Covid-19 vaccine policy, pressured employees to include pronouns and pride flags in their public-facing profiles and ignored gender bias in the Houston office. He said he raised concerns to management and began interviewing elsewhere, prompting his termination, he alleged.
“No one wants to be involved in litigation, least of all me,” Bukowski said when the lawsuit was first filed.
Bukowski has since continued his brokerage career at Stream Realty Partners alongside his former CBRE teammates Abby Alford, Kylee Rocher Antweil and Marshall Miller, who were not part of the lawsuit. He remains one of Houston’s top office tenant reps, having brokered over $169 million in deals in 2023, the outlet said.
— Judah Duke
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