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Uber-wealthy hedge funder and high-profile Trump donor John Paulson fled a $400,000-per-month Hamptons rental after just seven days upon discovering the palatial seaside spread reeked of rodent urine and excrement, according to a demand letter obtained by The Independent.
The stunning Southampton manse, which boasts neighbors such as New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, hedge fund titan Ken Griffin, and private equity mogul Leon Black, was allegedly infested with mice, which got into the ventilation system and died there.
This, the letter claims, created not only a nauseating stench throughout the 10,000 square-foot home, but also a significant health risk for the 68-year-old Paulson and his 35-year-old fiancée Alina de Almeida, who claims she fell ill due to the conditions at the property.
“The smell of decay, feces and urine are particularly pungent after a heavy rain,” the letter states.
Paulson, who is worth an estimated $3.5 billion, has been floated by presidential candidate Donald Trump as a potential pick for Treasury secretary if the newly-minted felon manages to take back the White House in November. In April, Paulson hosted a Trump fundraiser at his Palm Beach home, which reportedly took in more than $50 million. And in May, Paulson co-hosted a Manhattan fundraiser for Trump, alongside Cantor Fitzgerald boss Howard Lutnick and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. De Almeida is now pregnant with the couple’s first child, the New York Post reported late Thursday.
A Paulson representative declined to comment on the record toThe Independent.
Beyond the stink of decomposing flesh, which Paulson contends was intentionally hidden from him so he’d sign the lease, the demand letter says the 8-bedroom, 10-bathroom manse was beset by black mold, rotting wood, peeling paint, ceilings so waterlogged they were on the verge of collapse, and overall “air quality (or lack thereof)” that made the home “hazardous and uninhabitable.”
“In Tenant’s view, it is reprehensible that the Premises [were] offered for rental given the hazardous conditions outlined above,” says the letter, which Paulson’s attorney sent last month to the landlord’s reps.
The letter was introduced in court as an exhibit alongside a $6 million lawsuit Paulson filed Wednesday, which says the billionaire investor was forced to stay in a hotel after decamping from the rental, and then had to expend additional sums to lease an acceptable place for the rest of July. However, it alleges, the landlord refused to give Paulson a refund for the remaining three weeks he had already pre-paid.
Among other charges, the suit accuses the home’s unidentified owners, whose names are obscured behind an LLC, of, among other things, deceptive business practices, misrepresentation, and fraud.
To that end, the demand letter from Paulson’s lawyer says her client was misled about what he and his betrothed were getting themselves into.
“During Tenant’s walk-through of the Property with Landlord’s broker, the sun was out and all or a majority of the windows of the house were open and there was a cross breeze in the house, which is situated between the ocean to the south, and the bay to the north,” the letter contends.
The broker who rented the property to Paulson, as well as attorneys and representatives for Ickenham Ltd., which owns the property, did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this summer, Paulson signed a lease to rent 1710 Meadow Lane from June 30, 2024 to July 31, for $380,000 (not including household staff and cleaning charges), according to a copy of the agreement introduced in court. An initial payment of $100,000 was due upon signing, plus a $50,000 security deposit, with the balance of $280,000 due by 5 p.m. on June 25.
Paulson was permitted to bring along his two cats, “as previously identified to Landlord,” according to the lease. A listing for the property describes it as “an attestation to refined living, where dreams are woven into the fabric of reality, inviting the fortunate few to embark on a journey of unparalleled luxury and coastal enchantment.”
Upon moving in, Paulson and de Almeida “[a]lmost immediately” noticed a foul odor, exterior decks saturated with standing water that would not drain, and “heavy moisture stains” on ceilings, floors, and walls, Paulson’s lawsuit says.
On July 3, Paulson sent the landlord a letter, which was filed in court as an exhibit, laying out his concerns.
“We really loved your property and hoped to have a wonderful stay during the month of July in 1710 Meadow Lane,” Paulson wrote. “However, we are sorry to report that there is much dampness in the home after the last rain. We have been in the house for a few days and have problems with the air as it is hard to breathe.”
Adequate fixes would be impossible to make within the brief rental period, so Paulson said he was breaking the lease due to “unsafe conditions.” He asked for the pro-rata portion of his rent to be returned, plus the security deposit and $5,000 housekeeping fee.
But in a response letter dated July 5, the landlord denied Paulson’s request for a refund, insisting that he had provided “no evidence of an unsafe condition.”
Due to the July 4th holiday weekend, Paulson and de Almeida had been unable to find an available hotel room until July 7, when they vacated the property, according to the lawsuit. On July 10, a third-party engineer Paulson hired to inspect the place discovered a “hidden crawl space,” which contained “piles of trash,” “visible black mold,” and “significant amounts of rodent urine and feces and dead rodents,” according to the lawsuit.
The engineer told Paulson the ceiling in the home’s media room had a 90 percent “moisture reading,” which could cave in at any moment, the lawsuit says. The stomach-turning smell was primarily caused by decomposing rodents, according to the engineer, who “surmised that more dead rodents were likely contained in the air handling equipment, which is a closed loop system.”
On July 12, Paulson and de Almeida at last found “alternative housing,” and retrieved the rest of their belongings from the home, according to the suit.
Two weeks later, the landlord’s attorney denied the findings by Paulson’s engineer, saying it had gotten a second opinion from an inspector who found no mold, no “contamination,” and no health risks.
“The Premises are in fact in a safe and habitable condition and, as such, there is no basis whatsoever for Tenant to terminate the Lease,” the attorney wrote to Paulson’s rep. “Instead, it appears that Tenant had a change of heart in connection with this short term rental and is desperately trying to find an excuse so that Tenant can cancel the Lease prior to its expiration date.”
Paulson is demanding $5.9 million, plus attorneys’ fees. Ickenham Ltd. has 20 days from Wednesday to formally respond to the lawsuit.
