A $25 Million Hamptons Home: Legal Drama and a New Start

A former New York socialite is putting her Bridgehampton mansion on the market for $25 million after a tangled legal battle over a $3. 5 million mortgage she never paid. The house sits on seven acres and was once valued between $12 and $18 million, but the owner’s lender bought it at a Zoom auction for only $500 when she fell behind on payments. The sale agreement is strict: the property must be sold by August 25, or the owner will lose it to foreclosure and eviction. If a buyer is found, she must pay the lender $5. 5 million plus daily interest and penalties. The deal also contains a clause that lets the lender bypass bankruptcy protections if she files for bankruptcy before the deadline. She has no plan to fight the foreclosure and wants to recover the deed by selling the house. The proceeds will cover the loan, penalties, and any other costs. She has said she never paid a single mortgage payment.Her legal troubles are not new. In the past five years she has faced 15 lawsuits in New York, including a $1. 8 million judgment for back rent on a Manhattan condo that was later dismissed. The current case involves over 1, 000 pages of claims and counterclaims in Suffolk County Supreme Court. The house itself is a luxury retreat: 10, 687 sq ft with six bedrooms, many bathrooms, fireplaces, a theater, a wine cellar, and an office. Outside there are a pool, spa, pool house, two pickleball courts, and a sports court. The estate offers a pastoral setting amid woodlands and lawns. The owner says she is ready to leave New York after the sale, but a judge has cautioned that the outcome of the settlement remains uncertain. The parties have agreed to cover their own attorney fees, and a $15 million claim has been dropped as they work toward a resolution.