A venture capitalist and his wife are suing to force through their $4.5 million purchase of a Fisher Hill mansion after a title defect tied to the former owner's bankruptcy in Israel collapsed the deal.
Jonathan Bronson and Olga-Sofia Bronson filed a verified complaint on Tuesday, Aug. 4, in Norfolk Superior Court against BRBFS, LLC and Scintilla Fund LP, the entities that agreed to sell them 55 Leicester St. The nearly 10,000-square-foot property features seven bedrooms, nine-and-a-half bathrooms, a five-car garage with a rotating turntable and a roof deck helipad.
The town assesses the property at more than $10 million.
How the deal fell apart
The Bronsons signed a purchase and sale agreement on June 11 for $4.5 million, putting down a $225,000 deposit plus a $2,500 binder. Closing was set for June 29.
Four days after signing, their attorneys discovered the problem during a title examination. The previous owner, Israeli tech entrepreneur Moshe Yanai, had transferred the property to Scintilla Fund LP in July 2025 for $7 million through an escrow arrangement rather than a traditional deed filing. A discrepancy between the notary date and the acknowledgement date on the warranty deed compounded the issue.
Multiple title insurance companies refused to insure the sale, according to the complaint.
Yanai, 76, founded data storage company Infinidat, once valued at more than $1 billion. A Tel Aviv court declared him bankrupt in October 2025. His personal debts have since ballooned to approximately $250 million, according to a May 2026 Calcalist report. Scintilla, a Cayman Islands-based fund, is one of his largest creditors, claiming he owes it $42 million.
Yanai purchased 55 Leicester St. in 1995 with his late wife Rachel, according to Norfolk County deed records cited in the complaint.
Sellers declared deal void
The complaint alleges BRBFS knew about the title defect before the Bronsons signed but did not disclose it. As early as Feb. 1, counsel to Yanai in the Israeli bankruptcy proceeding told Scintilla's lawyers that a stay on the property should remain until certain requirements were met.
On June 25, BRBFS invoked a 30-day cure period, pushing the closing to July 29. But on July 3, BRBFS's counsel notified the Bronsons it could not complete the transaction without amending the agreement, then declared the deal null and void.
In a July 30 email to the Bronsons' counsel, the listing agent for BRBFS conceded that "the parties effectively remained in the same position through the 30-day extension," acknowledging no steps had been taken to clear title.
Mold and water damage
The property has sat vacant since at least July 2025. A pre-closing inspection on May 27 found a leaky roof with damaged drainage, mold in the garage, basement, kitchen and ceiling, and potential decay in the main waste piping and sewer line.
What the Bronsons want
The lawsuit seeks specific performance ordering the sale to proceed, contract damages including renovation costs and attorneys' fees, and a declaratory judgment that the property be conveyed with clear title. Alternatively, the Bronsons seek return of their $227,500 deposit.
As of Aug. 12, the property remains listed on Zillow at $5,995,000 with a "pending" sale status. No hearing date has been publicly scheduled. Brookline.News reported that none of the parties responded to requests for comment.
