At CBD, we love a good old-fashioned break-up.

We reserve extra love for those break-ups that involve a hit reality TV show, a jeweller to the stars, luxury real estate and multimillion-dollar legal battles between former friends.

Such is the state of the acrimonious separation between James Kennedy and Ben Scott, two old chums from Sydney private boys’ school Cranbrook (where else?). The two were the brains behind Amazon Prime Video’s Luxe Listings, the glossy program that follows a group of real estate agents working in (or should we just say working?) Sydney’s luxury property market.

Kennedy, chief executive of Kennedy Watches & Jewellery, known for its sponsorships of the Victoria Racing Club and the AFL, was taken to court earlier this year by his former friend.

A key to Scott’s claim is that Kennedy secretly used the TV program for incidental product placement for Rolex and Patek Philippe – watches that his business sells.

Scott also alleges Kennedy breached his fiduciary duties as a co-director of their production company, Kentel Australasia, by negotiating a deal with Amazon that undervalued the show, and robbed them of ownership rights over Luxe Listings.

The pair came up with the idea for a reality show about real estate agents after Kennedy watched Scott’s reality show Meet The Hockers, which he created and co-produced with Kyle Sandilands.

Initially, they talked to Network Ten about the show. But according to Scott’s statement of claim, Kennedy went behind his back and signed a deal with Amazon which gave the creators a lump-sum payment of $30,000 and $15,000 per episode – and gave the global behemoth all rights to the show.

Scott is seeking equitable compensation for Kennedy’s alleged breach of his fiduciary duties, and for all profits he derived from product placement.

That’s left a long and costly legal fight before we even get to the planned 10-day trial.

The case returned to the NSW Supreme Court on Friday for a hearing before Justice Francois Kunc. Noting that Kennedy’s team had been “egregiously late” in discovery, he ordered them to disclose documents to the other side. The defendants also agreed to release some of Scott’s emails held on their server.

Kennedy has filed a defence denying the claims and asserting he and another previous employee were legally entitled to the program and intellectual property. CBD contacted Kennedy for comment.

Meanwhile, the plaintiffs are trying to subpoena details of marketing deals watchmakers including Rolex had with Kennedy. Because Patek Philippe doesn’t have an Australian office, Scott’s legal team will need to go to a Swiss court to have them subpoenaed, adding a European twist to the tale.

Who you gonna call?

Politicians come and go, but billionaires last. None more so than property developer Harry Triguboff of Meriton fame. The Trig is 91 and his wealth of $26.5 billion means the country’s most powerful politicians adopt a decidedly non-ageist stance when asked to make time for him.

That includes Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who by our calculations is the 24th treasurer the property developer has encountered (multiple minister Scott Morrison included). According to a copy of Chalmers’ diary, released under freedom-of-information laws, the treasurer had a phone call with Triguboff in October. Age ain’t nothing but a number.

Another interesting character on the treasurer’s dance card was Nicola Forrest, ex-wife of mining baron turned clean energy evangelist Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest. A meeting was set up, but alas her people cancelled at the death.