Billionaire Ronald Burkle is suing political power-broker Darius Anderson, accusing his former protégé and friend of cheating him out of millions of dollars.
Burkle alleges that Anderson used the billionaire’s network and a seed investment to build a powerful lobbying firm — only to later divert Burkle’s share of the profits to himself. The legal feud marks a dramatic falling-out between Anderson and his longtime mentor Burkle, who was the best man at Anderson’s wedding.
Anderson has responded with a lawsuit of his own seeking to dissolve the lobbying firm on account of Burkle’s “greed, mercurial behavior, and public reporting of relationships held by Mr. Burkle with certain individuals,” according to a complaint filed by Anderson’s company DWA Enterprises.
Anderson’s legal counsel referenced media reports on Burkle’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein when asked what specific relationships his client had concerns about.
Burkle’s attorney Patty Glaser dismissed these references as an effort to distract from Anderson’s own wrongdoing, stating that Burkle has maintained for decades that Epstein “was a creep” and that his only connection to Weinstein was as an investor in movies produced by his companies.
The legal wrangling began on Feb. 6, when OA 3, LLC, a company Burkle owns, filed a lawsuit accusing Anderson of paying himself more than $16.5 million from the accounts of his lobbying firm from 2014 to 2025, while purposely depriving Burkle of any share in the profits.
OA 3 owns a 20% stake in Anderson’s lobbying firm Platinum Advisors, LLC, according to the complaint. The Sacramento-based firm with offices in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., has represented dozens of powerful clients, including Anthem Inc., Sony Interactive Entertainment and Capital One, according to its website.
The lawsuit further accuses Anderson of using two offshoot LLCs and a real estate company to funnel himself around $5 million in additional profits.
“Anderson quietly orchestrated a decade-long campaign of self-dealing — funneling millions to himself through undisclosed payments, creating secret competing entities, and systematically depriving his business partner of every dollar owed,” alleges the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by OA 3 against Anderson and several of his business ventures.
In response, Anderson accused Burkle of attempting to “smear” him as part of a “broader strategy to extract an unwarranted monetary payment,” according to a complaint filed by Anderson’s company DWA Enterprises against Burkle’s entity OA 3.
Anderson alleges in the complaint that Burkle has made more than an 800% return on a small seed investment he made in the lobbying firm, while doing no work for the business.
Anderson’s company DWA Enterprises filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to dissolve the lobbying firm Platinum Advisors LLC, arguing the partners have “reached an impasse” and can no longer work together. DWA Enterprises filed a similar lawsuit in San Francisco asking a judge to dissolve Anderson’s real estate company Kenwood Investments LLC, in which Burkle’s company owns a 10% share.
On a more personal scale, the legal duel between Burkle and Anderson has become a battle over reputation — as these two influential figures in California politics and business attack each other’s character.
“On his eponymous website, Darius Anderson touts himself as a ‘modern day renaissance man,’” the lawsuit filed by Burkle’s company states. “Anderson’s image appears large on the landing page, dressed in cowboy attire. … Anderson is not a renaissance man, but rather a manager who abused his authority and betrayed the fiduciary duties he owed to his investor, friend, and mentor.”
In a statement, Anderson’s legal counsel said it has become “untenable” for Anderson to be associated with Burkle “in light of public reporting about his affiliations with certain individuals” such as Weinstein and Epstein. Anderson alleges that these relationships have negatively affected his business and led to “reputational concerns raised by female employees,” according to his company’s complaint.
Burkle said in a phone interview that he has not been to the lobbying firm’s offices nor interacted with its female employees. He maintained that his only relationship to the business was that of a passive investor.
Burkle’s name appeared in court documents released in 2024 accusing him of having knowledge of Epstein’s sexual-trafficking conduct. Burkle said he flew once on Epstein’s jet as part of a humanitarian trip with President Clinton in 2002. He said he didn’t see anything illegal, but found Epstein to be “strange” and opted to fly home commercial.
Burkle is estimated to have a $3.9-billion net worth, according to Forbes. He built his fortune buying and selling supermarket chains, investing in tech companies such as Airbnb and Uber and as a part-owner of the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins.
Though Anderson’s relationship with the billionaire has turned sour, it began as an amicable partnership more than three decades ago.
In 1995, Anderson worked at Burkle’s Los Angeles–based private equity firm the Yucaipa Cos. While working there, Anderson persuaded Burkle to provide him with $100,000 in seed capital to launch his lobbying firm Platinum Advisors, according to the complaint filed by Burkle’s company.
For years, Burkle served as a mentor and a friend, even extending Anderson a personal loan to purchase his home, the complaint alleges.
Burkle alleges that Anderson stopped paying him in 2014 after becoming angry with him over an unspecified personal dispute, the complaint states. Instead, Anderson began paying himself large “guaranteed payments” — compensation made to a company member regardless of profits — ensuring his companies appeared to generate little or no distributable profit, the complaint alleges.
Anderson did not devote enough time to the lobbying firm to deserve these “exorbitant” payments, Burkle claims, as during this time period he was also serving as chief executive of a hunting club and restaurant, the owner of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the CEO of a real estate firm, the founder of a charity and the member of several boards.
Burkle said he became aware of Anderson’s alleged wrongdoing in fall 2025 when Anderson attempted to buy out his share of the lobbying firm for $1 million. Burkle claims he was then denied access to a significant portion of the lobbying firm’s financial records and that Anderson later admitted that “he secretly retaliated against Burkle” by not paying Burkle’s company any distributions of the firm’s profits.
In the lawsuit Anderson’s company filed in response, the businessman alleges that he tried to reach an agreement with Burkle to wind down the lobbying business and “fully address any economic issues, such as payment of liabilities and distributions to members.” Anderson says the men have reached an impasse and is asking a judge to dissolve their business connections.
Burkle argues Anderson committed multimillion-dollar fraud at the companies Burkle invested in and is seeking damages, the release of accounting records and restitution.
Times staff writer Seema Mehta contributed to this report.
