A Canadian billionaire heiress, Chloe de Serigny, and her husband Brendan Fitzpatrick, a former reality TV star, have been accused in a US federal lawsuit of scamming their close friend Max Jan Fowles-Pazdro out of $2 million and then flaunting their wealthy lifestyle on social media while refusing to repay him. The case highlights how personal friendships can be exploited for financial gain among the wealthy, and how such disputes can quickly turn public and litigious when trust breaks down.

Fowles-Pazdro claims he lent the couple $2 million in January 2025 for a UK property project after Brendan promised repayment within six weeks, but two years on nothing has been returned, leaving him and his wife facing financial ruin. The lawsuit alleges the couple repeatedly promised repayment, including via Chloe's mother Sophie Desmarais, trustee of the Desmarais family fortune estimated at $4.5 billion, while posting images of themselves yachting in the Mediterranean. Chloe is the granddaughter of the late Canadian financier Paul Desmarais, once Canada's fourth-richest person, and she and Brendan, who appeared on Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, married in California in 2023.