San Diego

Closing Arguments Heard in Civil Trial Between Drew Brees, La Jolla Jeweler

Closing arguments were heard Wednesday in the civil case of NFL quarterback Drew Brees and a La Jolla jeweler.

Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany Brees, are suing jeweler Vahid Moradi, claiming he misrepresented the value of diamonds and defrauded him out of $6.7 million.

The civil lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court accuses Moradi of breach of oral contract, fraud by intentional misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud by concealment.

Brees testified that diamonds he invested in were shown to him in settings that changed their color, and said he never had the opportunity to see the diamonds removed from their settings.

He got that chance during trial.

β€œThey look nowhere near what they look like in the settings,” Brees said.

β€œThey’re much more light, much more faint in fact the blue diamond looks like it could be a white diamond. There appears to be no color to the naked eye.” 

Brees and Moradi met through a teammate Brees had when he was in college. 

"Well, Vahid became a good friend. He became somebody I referred family and other friends too. I don't do that lightly," the New Orleans Saints quarterback testified on Thursday. 

The two men entered into 10 transactions since they first started discussing diamonds as investments in 2010. 

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NBC 7
A list of the damages involved in the lawsuit between NFL quarterback Drew Brees and a La Jolla jeweler.

Moradi's defense denied allegations that Moradi went after Brees's money.

The defense argued diamonds are a good investment and explained the difference between wholesale diamonds and retail diamonds to the jury. 

The typical retail profit on a diamond is 1.6 percent of the diamond's value, according to the defense. Using a calculator, the attorney showed how the diamonds sold to Brees had a 1.55 to 1.6 percent markup. 

Moradi's attorney said each diamond that was sold to Brees was accompanied by a certificate from GIA. 

Since it's a civil case, the judge only needs a majority decision from the jury rather than a unanimous one.

A civil trial between NFL quarterback Drew Brees and a La Jolla Jeweler is underway. NBC 7's Artie Ojeda has more.
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