Providence’s “Great Estate” Sells for $4M After Legal Battle, Dezube Moves to Evict Flo

Providence’s “Great Estate” Sells for $4M After Legal Battle, Dezube Moves to Evict Flo

 

The legal battle between scientist Newton Howard and developer Dustin Dezube is over.

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Providence’s last great estate, The William E. and Clara A. Bridgham Estate, went on the market in May of 2021. It was sold in an auction a few months later, and then, seller Howard and buyer Dezube were embroiled in a lawsuit for years. SEE VIDEO OF THE PROPERTY BELOW

Last week, the estate officially closed for a sale price of $4 million.

Dezube said about the closing, "At last, it was a long road."

But there is one more obstacle for Dezube, the removal of the tenant.

 

Dezube Says He Is Moving to Evict Johannes Flo

During much of the time that Howard and Dezube were battling over control of the property, Howard rented the property to Johannes Flo, a man with a global reputation.

Flo, a Norwegian national, was the subject of a major exposé by the Norwegian publication VG — which is owned by the global media company Schibsted Media Group — an international media group with 8,000 employees across 22 countries. 

According to his LinkedIn profile, Flo runs the Bard Group, LLC and the bio states, “Johannes Floe is a business leader and founder of The Bard Group Holdings LLC, known for his unmatched ability to turn vision into value. With a background in operations, finance, and sustainability,

Johannes has built a company platform that fosters growth, stability, and strategic advantage.”

Flo had resettled in Newport about a decade ago or so.

In 2018, GoLocalProv requested to interview Flo, which sparked legal threats and a cease-and-desist letter from Flo’s lawyers.

Lawyers for Flo claim that the VG article is false and sought to block GoLocal from republishing any elements of the claims made in the VG article.

Dezube, when asked if Flo was leaving, said, “His intention is not to.”

Now, Dezube says he is moving to evict Flo from the property.

“We are going to evict him. We are beginning to file the paperwork,” said Dezube.

Repeated attempts to contact Flo and his lawyer were unsuccessful.

 

 

Future of the Property

In 2023, Dezube proposed developing the Great Estate into a condo development — building 44 additional units.

Neighbors contacted GoLocal in opposition to Dezube’s design.

“They [neighbors] shared their concerns with me. I did hear a lot of different feedback from a number of different neighbors. There were certainly different preferences that were expressed,” said Dezube.

Dezube says that he plans to rent the property in the near term.