Arianna Huffington: Media Mogul and Syndicated Columnist Accused of Leaving New York Chelsea Apartment "Gouged, Stained," Lawsuit Claims $275,000 in Damages; She Calls Claims "Ludicrous"

A new lawsuit filed against media mogul and syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington claims she left her expensive and spacious Chelsea neighborhood loft in Manhattan totaled, after the two years she rented the apartment.  Documentary filmmaker Eric Steel, whose architect stepfather Charles Gwathmey custom-designed the pad filed the suit, Newsmax reported. Huffington has vehemently denied all charges.  

The lawsuit asks for $275,000 in damages.

All of the two-bedroom apartment needed to be renovated, Steel said, who filed the suit on Monday in the Manhattan Supreme Court said.

"Dishwasher racks, stove knobs and a refrigerator drawer were broken and had to be replaced," Steel wrote in the complaint, according to the New York Post.

Huffington had been paying between $27,000 and $32,000 a month for the space, allegedly promising Steel she would be the sole occupant, but Huffington reportedly allowed her daughter to use the apartment, who wound up throwing large parties with friends who often crashed in the office and den, according to the suit.

"Huffington was using the apartment for large parties and business function in breach of the sublease and Huffington's promises," court papers said.

Steel also Huffington trashed what was considered an "irreplaceable" dining room," designed by his stepfather.

"The Gwathmey designed, custom made dining room table was damaged and scratched and the finish compromised," the papers say, according to the New York Post. "It had to be crated, hoisted out of the apartment and repaired by the original manufacturer."

Huffington has called the lawsuit an attempt to "extort more money from me by making ludicrous claims."

"Every single claim in this suit is false except the square footage and the address," Huffington said in a statement. "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."

In 2011, AOL acquired The Huffington Post for $315 million and made her editor in chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, which included The Huffington Post and then-existing AOL properties such as Engadget, AOL Music, Patch Media and StyleList. 

In 2009, Huffington was named as number 12 in Forbes list of the Most Influential Women In Media.

Tags

Arianna Huffington, Lawsuit, Manhattan Supreme Court, Damages

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