The city of Los Angeles is pushing to dismiss a lawsuit in federal court from the owners of the Los Angeles home whereMarilyn Monroe died, calling their legal action baseless and “premature.”
Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank purchased the Brentwood property for just over $8 million in 2023. Soon after, they applied for — and received —city approval to demolish the homeand begin new construction, according to a lawsuit obtained by The Post.
However, the homeowners said the city swooped in to designate the home a “Historical-Cultural Monument” in 2024 after the permits were already approved.
So theysued the city, claiming the historical designation “rendered the property useless” and stopped their ability to capitalize on the $8 million they spent to buy it.
Attorneys for the city, in a court document filed Thursday, disputed that narrative.
The homeowners should have already known that the property would become a Historical-Cultural Monument and they were told that tourists would be visiting the property before they made the purchase, the city said.
“Despite the explicit notice that the Property was a known destination for tourists and a candidate for future landmark status, Plaintiffs proceeded with the $8.35 million purchase,” the filing read.
City attorneys also claimed that the designation is not technically final and therefore, there is no basis for the lawsuit.
There are still avenues for the homeowners to challenge the designation, they said, such as filing for a new demolition permit under the Historical-Cultural Monument designation. The homeowners never pursued that option, the city alleged.
The owners claimed that the Historical-Cultural Monument designation caused a host of problems for them, such as increased tourists and trespassers. City attorneys said that argument makes no sense and that the homeowners can still enforce against trespassers.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
