Manhattan Condo Board Sues David Copperfield for Over $2.5M Magician Allegedly ‘Trashed' Penthouse

wizard cone hat isolated on white background

According to recent reports, the board of the Galleria — a luxury condo on East 57th Street - is suing noted illusionist David Copperfield for over $2.5 million to repair damage to a unit he owns in the building. Copperfield purchased the 54th-floor unit in 1997. The suit, filed on August 6, claims that the 67-year-old performer “trashed” - and then abandoned - his unit in 2018.

The Galleria board alleges that the star left the apartment in such a “state of utter disrepair” that setting it right will require over $2.5 million worth of both cosmetic and structural work to the unit itself, as well as neighboring units and the building as a whole. The filing included photos of major water damage to the unit’s carpeting, walls, ceiling, and bathrooms, unchecked mold and mildew growth, and more.

The suit also alleges that Copperfield “caused a valve that exclusively services his Unit to fail, resulting in approximately $2,500,000 of damages to the Condominium’s common elements and elevator systems.”

The filling also includes claims about the magician’s “tumultuous” history in the condo, noting several incidents, including a rooftop pool bursting in 2015 due to “illegal and ineffective” plumbing fixtures, which reportedly caused flooding throughout 30 stories. The Galleria suit claims that Copperfield “refuses to confront the consequences of his actions and denies all responsibility for the damage he has caused to the building and his former neighbors.”

Copperfield’s reps claim that the issue is ‘a simple insurance claim’ and that the board’s photographs do not “reflect the current state of the apartment.”

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