 The controversial decision to sell was made in secret, and was not revealed to the public until the items had been packed and crated and were already at Sotheby's, the auction house which brokered the deal.Lauren Gioia, daughter of prominent Albright-Knox board member Robert Gioia, was employed at the auction house at the time of the sale, a conflict of interest that was not disclosed when the sale was announced.The judge who threw out a lawsuit seeking to block the sale, Diane Devlin, had been appointed city court judge by former Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello.