Huffington trashes loft: A lawsuit claims that Arianna Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post, trashed her $32,000-a-month rented Chelsea home.
Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington allegedly trashed her rented Manhattan home, according to a lawsuit.
The New York Post reported that Huffington left the 4,400 square foot loft, located in the neighborhood of Chelsea, in disarray, the lawsuit alleged.
“Dishwasher racks, stove knobs and a refrigerator drawer were broken and had to be replaced,” loft owner Eric Steel said in the complaint.
The lawsuit claims she caused $275,000 in damages, including “scratched, punctured” wood floors, messed up mattresses, and “gouged, stained and otherwise damaged” walls.
“Huffington was using the apartment for large parties and business functions in breach of the sublease and Huffington’s promises,” the suit said.
Also trashed was a dining room table designed by Charles Gwathmey, who helped renovate the Guggenheim Museum.
“The Gwathmey designed, custom made dining room table was damaged and scratched and the finish compromised,” the suit said. “It had to be crated, hoisted out of the apartment and repaired by the original manufacturer.”
The New York Daily News reported that Huffington was paying $32,000 a month in rent. She leased the loft in May 2011.
Huffington denied Steel’s claims in a statement obtained by the Daily News.
“Every single claim in this suit is false except the square footage and the address,” Huffington said.
“Eric Steel, who happily renewed the lease twice and visited the apartment multiple times, is holding onto $93,000 dollars in deposits, which he has refused to return. He is obviously trying to extort more money from me.... It won’t work,” the statement reads, according to DNAInfo.
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