A married real estate mogul was so infatuated with a realtor working under him that he offered her $3.5million to leave her husband and be with him instead, an explosive lawsuit claims.
Now, her spurned ex is seeking $5million in damages, accusing The Real Brokerage chief executive Tamir Poleg, 49, of deliberately interfering in their marriage.
In an October filing, Michael Steckling alleges that Poleg set out to lure his wife, mother-of-two Paige Steckling, with enticing offers of cash, real estate and lavish trips. He claims the executive even sold a large chunk of stock to fund the ‘indecent proposal.’
The suit accuses the property mogul of detonating the couple’s seemingly happy family life with his grand gestures.
The Real Brokerage, a fast-growing firm popular in Utah, is a publicly traded company valued at $886million, with a team topping 30,000 agents.
According to the civil complaint, Steckling, 36, and Paige, 38, married in 2013 and have two children together, aged nine and six at the time of the filing.
The lawsuit claims the couple was in a loving, committed marriage, had never discussed separation or divorce, and were actively building a future together, while enjoying splashy vacations or quiet nights snuggling in front of the TV.
But Poleg and Paige paint a very different picture.
A real estate mogul’s alleged $3.5million indecent proposal to Paige Steckling is now the subject of a lawsuit filed by her husband
The Steckling family before Paige filed for divorce in February 2025. According to the civil complaint, they married in 2013 and have two children together
Steckling’s complaint alleges that Poleg, who was married to Marina Poleg at the time, began pursuing lead realtor Paige despite knowing she was married and had children.
According to her corporate biography on real estate websites, Paige has a decade of experience serving the local communities of Salt Lake City, Lehi and Park City.
The bio also highlights her family life, noting: ‘Beyond real estate, Steckling is a wife and mother of two boys, lovingly living in the beautiful state of Utah.
‘When not helping clients, you can find Paige skiing down the slopes, hiking in the stunning outdoors, and embracing all the family activities Utah has to offer.’
Paige also runs a lifestyle website called Salty Blondes alongside her sisters Regan and Sidney. The site states that the trio live near Salt Lake City but grew up in San Diego.
The blog highly polished portraits of their wholesome family lives, alongside recipes, fitness tips and calls to ‘#ShareTheGoodness.’ Paige, it adds, has ‘a knack for style and fashion.’
Though she is not a party to the lawsuit, Paige told the Daily Mail her marriage ended independently of Poleg’s actions.
‘I’m not going to comment on an active legal matter,’ she said. ‘My marriage ended for personal reasons, and the claims made in this lawsuit do not reflect the reality of those circumstances. I’m confident the legal process will address any inaccuracies.’
The allegations from Steckling include a claim that in or around January 2025, Poleg offered Paige $1.5million and a home in Park City, Utah, valued between $2million and $3million, promising to ‘take care of her needs’ if she ended her marriage and pursued a romantic relationship with him.
The complaint alleges Paige informed her husband of the offer that same month. Poleg is said to have separated from his wife shortly afterward.
Just weeks later, on January 26, Poleg allegedly booked a stay at a Miami hotel for himself and Paige, scheduled for February 6-10, 2025.
According to the filing, Poleg then emailed Paige on February 3 with detailed instructions on how to access $1.5million of his funds. The message allegedly stated that $800,000 would be available immediately, with an additional $700,000 accessible in mid-March 2025. He supposedly added that she would be able to use the cash for a year.
Real estate mogul Tamir Poleg, CEO of The Real Brokerage, is accused in a lawsuit of offering a married employee $3.5million to leave her husband
Poleg with his ex-wife Marina in Prague
According to her website, Salty Blondes, Paige has ‘a knack for style and fashion’
That same day, Poleg allegedly sold more than $600,000 worth of Real Brokerage stock, which the lawsuit claims was to fund the transaction.
Poleg denies personally selling company stock to provide the money and rejects claims that any financial support was tied to Paige’s marriage or her subsequent divorce.
In a response to the lawsuit filed on January 16, Poleg denied all causes of action alleged against him, including claims that he helped destroy another man’s marriage.
Poleg did admit in his response that on or around February 3, 2025, he sent Paige an email outlining how she could access $1.5million of his funds. But he claimed it was sent after she requested personal financial support and insists the money did not come from the sale of company stock.
Three days later, Paige filed for divorce from her husband.
Steckling’s lawsuit further alleges that Poleg had been laying the groundwork for months, organizing at least three clandestine meetings with Paige prior to the filing: in Las Vegas in October 2024, Park City in December 2024, and Anaheim, California, in January 2025.
According to the complaint, these meetings were held to convince Paige to end her marriage and start a relationship with Poleg.
In his response, Poleg denied the claims that he helped destroy her marriage, and specifically denied allegations of secret hotel stays, lavish offers and a plot to lure Paige away from Steckling with millions.
‘No offers, no romance, no interference,’ his response states.
Poleg asserts that because of the lack of ‘genuine love or affection’ between Steckling and Paige, there cannot be valid claims against him.
According to Poleg’s filing, all interactions between Paige and him occurred solely in connection with work-related events.
The lawsuit, however, claims Poleg cultivated an ‘inappropriate and financially intimate relationship’ with Paige, pillow-talking luxury housing purchases and lifestyle upgrades far beyond what would be considered professional.
Before learning of his wife’s alleged plans to leave him, Steckling claimed the couple were deeply committed to each other.
In 2024 alone, as documented on social media, the couple traveled with their children to Disney World, Hawaii, Mexico and St George. They also took trips to Park City.
As a couple, they attended Utah Jazz games, Utah Utes football games, went skiing, enjoyed date nights with friends and spent evenings at home watching TV and movies, the suit claims.
The lawsuit states that both Steckling spouses worked full-time and contributed financially to the family’s future.
Steckling alleges Poleg knew all of this when he made his alleged indecent proposal. The filing claims Poleg acted willfully and maliciously, showing knowing and reckless indifference to his marital rights.
Poleg’s filing, however, disputes the plaintiff’s characterization of their marriage. Poleg denied that it was ‘loving, happy or committed.’ He stated that Paige had expressed an intent to separate from her husband before any alleged conduct by Poleg occurred.
Poleg insisted he had no intent to interfere, acted without malice and actually had no interest whatsoever in the marriage.
Steckling denies that her marriage was idyllic and said she did not leave because of Poleg
Paige Steckling (center) and her sisters Regan and Sidney. Together they run the lifestyle blog Salty Blondes
Paige and Michael Steckling on vacation. The lawsuit says the two were a loving couple who would often travel the world together
Steckling went on to claim in his complaint that Poleg’s actions were the cause of the breakdown in his marriage, and that he has suffered severe emotional distress, financial harm and loss of family stability as a result.
He is seeking damages for ‘the loss of comfort, society and consortium of his wife,’ along with punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and pre- and post-judgment interest.
Poleg, though, argues that Steckling’s alleged losses are speculative, unsupported or caused by unrelated factors.
The case has been filed in Utah state court, where Steckling has formally demanded a jury trial.
Poleg raised 13 affirmative defenses and is asking the court to deny all requested relief, dismiss the claims and award him costs and attorney fees as allowed by Utah law.
His attorney, Adam Karr, told the Daily Mail that Steckling’s claims were unfounded.
‘Last year, following a separation from his spouse, Mr Poleg had a brief relationship with an independent contractor who filed for divorce from her husband,’ Karr said.
‘This relationship ended almost a year ago. The recent claims brought by the contractor’s former husband against Mr Poleg are without merit and filled with inaccuracies.
‘Mr Poleg views the lawsuit as a clear attempt to exploit his public standing for personal reasons and rejects any suggestion of wrongdoing.’
Poleg has not yet responded publicly to the allegations, but he did send a company-wide email to his staff on January 23, 2026, in which he admitted to offering Paige $1.5million three days before she filed for divorce.
In the message to his agents, Poleg referred to a ‘brief relationship’ with the employee that began after he separated from his wife and ended almost a year ago.
‘These claims lack merit and are filled with inaccuracies,’ Poleg wrote.
‘I view this lawsuit as a clear attempt to exploit my public standing for personal reasons and I have rejected and continue to reject any suggestion of wrongdoing.’
One of Poleg’s realtors defended her boss on social media, writing, ‘I have so much respect for him for being transparent with us all he could have waited until it leaked… instead he was proactive and honest and that’s what makes a good leader.’
The case is still pending.