A New York judge ordered socialite Libbie Mugrabi to pay more than $1.8 million in unpaid rent and utilities for a lavish Upper East Side apartment where she once lived.
Mugrabi, 43, was cited in two lawsuits who claimed she stopped paying her $28,000 a month rent in the East 82nd Street apartment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Debra James granted the landlord a judgment of $1,815,238, including taxes, court documents show.
In an interview with The New York PostHowever, the socialite said she had no knowledge of the verdict and moved out years ago.
Mugrabi – the ex-wife of billionaire art dealer David Mugrabi – said she had moved permanently into a home in the Hamptons and said of the reward awarded in court that it “seems insane.”
Mugrabi had been issued an eviction notice in October before the lawsuits against her were filed.
A New York judge ordered socialite Libbie Mugrabi to pay more than $1.8 million in unpaid rent and utilities for a lavish Upper East Side apartment where she once lived
Mugrabi, 43, was cited in two lawsuits alleging she stopped paying her $28,000 a month rent for the East 82nd Street apartment during the COVID-19 pandemic
On Wednesday, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Debra James granted the landlord of the property a judgment of $1,815,238, including taxes, court documents show
At an earlier hearing, the landlord’s lawyers claimed that Mugrabi and her relatives did not leave until November.
Attorney Todd Rose said the socialite only left the day before she was due to be evicted from the Yorkville property.
Mugrabi was not present at the hearing and there were no representatives.
Rose alleged in February that Mugrabi’s refusal to move nearly cost his client his Park Mansion property.
“Mugrabi hasn’t paid rent for so long that my client almost lost his mortgage and almost lost his building,” Rose said at the time.
According to the lawyer, Mugrabi – despite winning millions from her divorce settlement – has filed for hardship during the pandemic.
“This is system fraud,” Rose said.
Speaking to The Post, Mugrabi fought back on the claims, stating that she only asked for hardship help because her ex stopped helping her financially.
She claims she moved out years ago and said she “assumed” her landlord had been notified.
“My mistake was that I never let the landlord know that I moved,” Mugrabi said.
At an earlier hearing, the landlord’s lawyers claimed that Mugrabi and her relatives did not leave until November
This is the view from a terrace in one of the building’s apartments
The apartment at 320 East 82nd Street had a monthly rent of $28,800. PICTURED: Another of the apartments in the Park Mansion building
“Mugrabi hadn’t paid rent for so long that my client almost lost his mortgage and almost lost his building,” Rose said in February. PICTURED: An apartment in the Yorkville Building
Speaking to The Post, Mugrabi fought back on the claims, stating that she applied for help because her ex had stopped helping her financially.
DailyMail.com first reported on the controversy in 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 eviction moratorium which did not expire until January 2022, Mugrabi could not be started from home.
Mugrabi and her billionaire ex-husband went through a messy divorce in 2020, which included an argument over a A $72 million mansion in Manhattan, his family’s art collection estimated to be worth $5 billion, and their home in the Hamptons.
The couple had two children and were together for 13 years before separating.