Actor Chris Pine is suing a townhouse developer after negotiations for the short-term rental of one in all his Cobble Hill tasks fell aside.
The lawsuit, which Pine filed in a New York court docket on Monday, accuses Eckstrom Development’s Carlos Saavedra of failing to return $100,000 in charges that the Star Trek star claims he paid whereas the 2 have been negotiating a seven-week lease for the property at 487 Henry Avenue.
Pine started discussing the potential lease with Saavedra in June, with the intention of taking on the furnished property on the morning of July fifth, in line with the grievance. As the 2 went backwards and forwards over the phrases, Pine alleges that he acquired directions from Saavedra to wire $50,000 as a safety deposit and $50,000 for the primary month’s hire.
Within the lawsuit, Pine states he despatched Saavedra the cash, together with a $25,000 pet deposit — an allegedly unlawful payment, which Pine claims Saavedra later returned. Nevertheless, the developer didn’t return Pine’s safety deposit or first month’s hire test even after the rental deal collapsed.
“Proprietor has supplied no contract, no consideration, and no cause of any variety for protecting the cash, as a result of there may be none,” the grievance states. “Missing any cognizable justification for its retention by Proprietor, this Court docket ought to compel the funds’ return to Pine.”
In a press release, an lawyer representing Saavedra, Russell Wolfson, referred to the claims as a “non-public contractual matter” and mentioned the lawsuit “tells just one aspect and doesn’t replicate the entire story.”
“Mr. Saavedra is assured will probably be resolved by way of the suitable channels,” he added.
The lawsuit, which additionally names the Brooklyn townhouse’s possession entity, 487 Henry LLC, as a defendant, seeks the return of the $100,000, in addition to damages and lawyer charges.
Eric Sherman, an lawyer representing Pine, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Saavedra and his spouse, Nicole Eckstrom, based Eckstrom Improvement eight years in the past. Whereas the couple launched their growth careers by changing condos, they later shifted their focus to turning multifamily properties in a few of Brooklyn’s most fascinating neighborhoods into single-family townhouses.
Since then, lots of the duo’s flips have snagged expensive offers, together with one at 170 Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn Heights, which closed for $14 million earlier this yr. Across the identical time, the couple introduced they have been expanding their footprint to Manhattan, beginning with properties in Greenwich Village and the West Village.
The builders purchased the property on the heart of the lawsuit for $4.65 million in 2024 and promote it in April with a $14.3 million asking worth. Additionally they listed the house for hire in June with a $69,500 month-to-month charge.
The house has 5 bedrooms and 4 loos unfold throughout 5 tales and almost 6,300 sq. ft. It contains 2,000 sq. ft of out of doors area, together with a backyard and rooftop terrace. It additionally incorporates a fitness center with a sauna and chilly plunge, in addition to two outside kitchens.
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