EXCLUSIVE: Genstar chairman Jean Pierre Conte sues interior designer ex-girlfriend Hillary Thomas for defamation after she claimed he attacked her at their Aspen home in 2022

The head of a San Francisco-based private equity firm is now suing his former partner for defamation after she accused him of violently attacking her at their home in Aspen last year, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Genstar Capital chairman Jean Pierre Conte hit back at ex-girlfriend Hillary Thomas in a counter-complaint filed last week, calling her assault allegations “pure fiction” and an attempt at financial gain.

Thomas alleged that Conte “beat her naked body” while she “begged for her life” during an incident at their shared home in January 2022, in an assault and battery lawsuit filed last month in Colorado .

The suit sought an unspecified amount in damages from Conte, who accused Thomas of verbally and physically abusing her during their 10-year relationship and then launched a smear campaign against her after she refused to reconcile.

Conte strongly denied the claims in a response filed last Thursday, obtained by DailyMail.com in which he also portrayed Thomas as a spendthrift obsessed with status and wealth and used him for his money.

“She kept coming back for more and more money and the next thing he knew, he got these accusations against him,” his lawyer Patricia Glaser told DailyMail.com.

‘In the end he had to choose between her and his children. She constantly criticized his children – and I don’t mean constructive criticism, but sneaky and ugly.’

In the suit, Glaser wrote: ‘Mrs. Thomas’ portrayal of Mr. Conte being violent and physically abusive is pure fiction. Her claims are false. There was no physical abuse or attack, as Ms. Thomas does not claim.’

She said that Thomas ‘first came forward with her fake account – claiming for the first and only time that Mr. Conte attacked her – after their relationship ended, when Mr. Conte said no to Ms. Thomas’ increasing demands for money and an end to her attempts to alienate him from his own children.’

Glaser told DailyMail.com: ‘Jean Pierre is amazed and disappointed that Hillary felt the need to make these false claims and that they are now embroiled in litigation.

‘However, he has to protect his family and himself. Our complaint speaks for itself.

The two began dating in 2012 and integrated their two families, with the designer taking care of Conte’s four children and Conte funneling large sums of money to her, according to the documents.

“Mr. Conte provided Ms. Thomas with millions of dollars during the course of their relationship, believing their relationship to be a loving one,” his filing states.

‘It is now clear that Ms. Thomas did not share the same sentiment and only Mr. Conte used for his money.

‘He is a loving and caring father, family member and friend with no history of violence or abuse.

‘Mrs. Thomas, on the other hand, has a history of lying, being dishonest and deceitful, especially as it relates to her addiction to wealth, status and spending money.’

The couple did not split until early 2021, but briefly reunited late that year before finally separating the following January, days after the alleged assault.

Thomas alleged in her filing that Conte broke open a door after they returned home from dinner on January 8, 2022 and began beating her naked body, pinning her down as she begged for her life and slamming her against the wall , all of which resulted in significant physical damage.’

She claimed she suffered blunt force bruises over her body which she said were ‘smearing’.

In his filing, Conte offered a completely different account of events that night which he claimed began when Thomas, ‘under the influence of alcohol and medication became verbally abusive towards mr. Conte and his son at a restaurant in Aspen.

‘Mrs. Thomas on mr. Conte started shouting and they left the establishment. Mr. Conte asked her to wait while he got the car. Instead, Ms. Thomas – in her altered state – begins the roughly seven-minute walk home through icy roads and sidewalks.

“On his return Ms. Thomas Mr. Thomas falls while skiing).

‘Mr. Conte told Ms. Thomas asked to stay away from his family, went upstairs and went to sleep. There was no physical attack like Ms. Thomas now falsely claims.’

The counter-filing goes on to say that shortly after their Jan. 10 split, Thomas demanded that Conte buy her a $9 million home, cover the cost of the home for 30 years and pay her medical bills for life.

When he refused, Thomas first ‘falsely accused’ him of abuse through a letter from her lawyer. When Conte said he was shocked by the allegations, Thomas replied: ‘It is just a letter,’ the filings state.

‘He paid for it all and when the money stopped we got this kind of ugliness. This is the big thing that pushed him over the edge. He was very generous with her and her family,” Glaser told DailyMail.com.

‘He gave her “pocket money” of $375,000 a year, but she kept asking for more. In addition, she used his credit card without his permission to buy even more.’

Conte’s lawyers allege in court documents that he met Thomas while she was in the middle of a divorce and was “in debt,” and agreed to cover the $400,000 in attorney fees she incurred in the divorce, in addition to to provide her with a Range Rover and a place to stay.

Sources with knowledge of the situation told DailyMail.com that Conte showered Thomas with lavish gifts, including a 13-carat diamond ring, a house and her children’s education.

The pair then entered into a cohabitation agreement three years later in which Conte agreed to give his partner an annual tax-free gift of $250,000 for personal expenses when he was away – a payment later increased to $375,000 at her request would be, according to the filings.

The agreement also entitled Thomas to $1 million tax-free for each year they were together since the signing of the 2015 agreement in case they split.

The couple eventually split in the spring of 2021, with Conte paying Thomas the $5 million that August, before reuniting later that year and then splitting for good the following January.