Andreatta: Golisano's big beef on his big boat

After dropping $7,692 on four chaise lounges and $2,252 for "dream cushions" to cover them, Paychex Inc. chairman and founder Tom Golisano thinks he paid too much to furnish his luxury yacht — about $400,000 too much.

Now he's suing his Rochester-based interior decorator to get it back.

Most civil lawsuits never go to trial. They're either dismissed or settled out of court.

But if Lady Justice has an ounce of compassion in her scales for the tired, poor and huddled among us who can only live vicariously through the super-rich, she’ll see that Golisano v. Vitoch Interiors plays out in state Supreme Court in Monroe County.

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The case revolves around the 240-foot Laurel, which you can lease for around $605,000 a week. Well, not you, but someone with money to burn. The ship is currently moored off the coast of West Palm Beach, Florida, among what appear on Google Maps to be a fleet of Star Destroyers.

Golisano claims the decorator, Norma Goldman, overcharged him by reneging on a verbal agreement allegedly witnessed bythe ship's captain and Golisano's wife, tennis star Monica Seles, to sell Golisano the furnishings at her wholesale price.

Goldman, who decorated Golisano's residence in Mendon, denies promising that the furnishings wouldn't be marked up. She claims Golisano got the same deal on the yacht as he did on his home, which was a discount on the suggested retail price of the furnishings.

According to the complaint, Goldman spent about six months in 2013 and 2014 devising color schemes, wall coverings and window treatments, overseeing the refurbishing of wall panels and built-ins, and having carpets, drapes, bedding and furniture installed on Laurel.

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Her bill came to just under $845,000, which included about $34,000 for 242 hours of work at $140 an hour. Golisano paid in full with a few complaints in June 2014, then rented out Laurel for a cruise to the Mediterranean.

By the time Laurel returned a month later with her six state rooms, on-deck hot tub, gym, and 20-person crew, Golisano had concluded that he'd been had to the tune of $400,000 and notified Goldman that he planned to sue.

The court papers and accompanying exhibits don't indicate precisely how Golisano figured he was ripped off.

Was it the $2,820 headboard fabric in Guest Suite 2, or the $3,338 ottoman in the library that cost another $600 to upholster listed in an estimated bill of sale? Maybe it was the $12,672 drape fabric in the Owner's Suite.

In his deposition, Golisano lamented having so many $500 pillows on Laurel that he had to put 32 of them in storage. That's $16,000 worth of pillows in storage! On a boat! A boat that carries four kayaks, three Sea-Doos and two WaveRunners!

Last week, a judge denied a motion from Goldman that asked for the case to be dismissed, potentially setting the stage for the case to settle or go to trial.

Please, Lady Justice, let it go to trial. Let us marvel at the excess. Let us mock it in envy.

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But let us, too, live vicariously through a man with the means to fight having his pockets picked, as so many of us have experienced and couldn't afford to do anything about. This lawsuit, like Golisano's property tax challenges in Mendon, affords us that opportunity.

As easy as it is to ridicule Golisano’s extravagance — and it is easy when he spends $522 on trim for pillows in Guest Suite 6 — he's entitled to protect himself from those who would take advantage of his great wealth.

That's not to suggest Golisano was bilked on his own yacht. In court papers, Goldman maintains she was up front with Golisano about what discount he would get, and in his deposition, Golisano said his $400,000 claim was based on his own "research."

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But if Golisano has a case, why should he leave $400,000 on the table? Because Forbes magazine estimates his wealth at $2.5 billion is not a good enough answer.

Where would you draw the line on being ripped off?

Personally, I'd draw it at the $785 wall sconce. But that's just me.

David Andreatta is a Democrat and Chronicle columnist. He can be reached at dandreatta@gannett.com.