The Observer has a new profile of Matthew Moinian, a 23-year-old "real estate magnate" whose family's real estate business is one of the biggest property owners in downtown New York. He has a full-floor bachelor pad in a brand new W hotel—a construction project he's in charge of. Nice for him! It's a typical Observer profile that is simultaneously fascinated by a rich kid and mocking of him. But they did miss one thing: the lawsuit just filed against Moinian's dad, the real real estate magnate in the family:

Yesterday afternoon California-based Dwell [magazine] filed suit against Moinian in US District Court, alleging that Moinian's [new financial district development, named Dwell95]—which was designed by Philippe Starck and officially launched on Monday—violates a trademark held by the magazine since 1999. The mag argues that not only did Moinian rip off the name, his company also "depicted this trademark using a font and style that are nearly indistinguishable from the font and style used by Dwell."

Cityfile thinks the Observer profile of the son might have been a plant, designed to generate some good PR just as his dad was getting sued. But that may be a stretch— Observer rich kid profiles are never really "good" PR.

[NYO, Cityfile]

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