Sam and Lara Worthington are suing their former landlord in Manhattan Supreme Court after he refused to return the deposit on their New York rental home.
Eric Steel refuses to return their deposit, claiming the couple damaged a $115,000 table in the Chelsea loft designed by his stepfather and late Modernist architect Charles Gwathmey.
The table reportedly requires $86,000 in repairs, according to the New York Post.
The furniture has long been in the Manhattan apartment, which Steel owns and rents for about $45,400 (US$30,000) per month.
Steel reportedly refuses to return the deposit, claiming the Worthingtons smashed the table and “destroyed” the attic after renting it for more than a year.
He demands payment of $454,000 (US$300,000).
Steel was previously sued by media mogul Arianna Huffington after he accused her of damaging the same table and the lawsuit was quickly settled.
Worthington’s attorney Anne W. Salisbury told The Post: “Steel’s attempt to use his playbook of fabricating damages and targeting his tenants for compensation will not be tolerated by the Worthingtons, who have left the apartment in virtually pristine condition.” ‘
Sam and Lara Worthington are suing their former landlord in Manhattan Supreme Court after he refused to return the deposit on their New York rental home
“Steel’s claims and counterclaims are demonstrably false and baseless under New York law, as the Worthingtons will prove in court.”
The Worthingtons admitted to “wear and tear” in the apartment, including a broken closet and some scratches on the walls, according to the lawsuit.
“Plaintiffs could not possibly have caused more than a few thousand dollars in damages,” Worthington’s attorney said.
Salisbury told The Post that the couple had “offered to pay more than the cost of repairs.”
Lara shares three sons – Rocket, seven, Racer, six, and River, two – with Sam.
The couple, who started dating in 2013 and secretly married in 2014, moved to the US to live a quiet life away from the spotlight.
Eric Steel refuses to return their deposit, claiming the couple damaged a $115,000 table in the Chelsea loft designed by his stepfather and late Modernist architect Charles Gwathmey.