NEXA Lending sues ex-employee over abusive conduct, trade secret accusations

NEXA Lending is back in court, but this time the company is suing a former employee for allegedly violating his NEXA contract, misappropriating trade secrets, and publishing false and damaging statements about the company.

The suit, filed on Aug. 7 in an Arizona federal court, accuses Austin Dell’Abate of “tortious interference with NEXA’s customer and referral relationships,” among other allegations.

Dell’Abate, who was hired as an independent contractor by NEXA in May 2026, was terminated at the end of July. That action was the result of “a documented pattern of abusive and unprofessional conduct that had generated complaints from two independent loan-processing companies, a federal agency, NEXA’s wholesale lender, a borrower, and NEXA’s own personnel,” the lender said in court documents.

In a conversation with HousingWire, NEXA CEO Mike Kortas said that Dell’Abate was “cussing out” himself and NEXA employees to the point where Kortas had to block contact. 

“It’s not my repertoire to sue loan officers,” Kortas said. “But we have recorded complaints of him screaming at account executives.” 

Per the filing, NEXA informed Dell’Abate in his termination letter that his in-progress loans would be handed off to and managed by Walter Brown, NEXA’s director of growth and retention. NEXA also said that he would not be eligible to be rehired.

The filing states that Dell’Abate “refused to return NEXA’s loan files, leads, and customer information, publicly claimed that NEXA’s clients and files belonged to him, solicited and attempted to divert NEXA’s customers, published false statements accusing NEXA and its personnel of criminal and predatory conduct, and subjected NEXA’s employees to a course of harassing and abusive communications, all in violation of his contractual, statutory, and common law obligations.”

Since his termination, the filing outlines Dell’Abate’s multiple attempts to contact NEXA via email claiming ownership of NEXA’s “self-generated pipeline” and demanding more than $50,000. He also accused NEXA of violating a cease-and-desist letter, using false compensation plans and engaging in predatory practices.

Dell’Abate also threatened to publicize complaints against the company and said the dispute would “escalate quickly.” 

On the same day of the complaint, NEXA filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against Dell’Abate. The brokerage said it is not seeking to restrict the defendant’s speech, but rather that it wants the court to prevent Dell’Abate from using or misappropriating NEXA trade secrets and confidential information, require him to return company property and enforce the nonsolicitation agreements he signed.

Kortas told HousingWire that he has had to increase security efforts as a result of the harassment. Dell’Abate did not return a request for comment at the time of publication.

NEXA is asking the court to bar Dell’Abate from using NEXA’s confidential information or soliciting its customers, require him to return company property and award the company damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and interest.