{"id":6155,"date":"2026-08-04T20:39:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6155"},"modified":"2026-08-04T20:39:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:39:04","slug":"exclusive-family-of-nyc-fashion-designer-who-died-in-montauk-yacht-mystery-claims-owner-caused-her-death-plans-50m-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6155","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Family of NYC fashion designer who died in Montauk yacht mystery claims owner caused her death, plans $50M lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The family of a Big Apple fashion designer mysteriously found dead in a swanky Montauk yacht club plans to file a bombshell lawsuit accusing a well-heeled investor of causing her demise, The Post exclusively learned.<\/p>\n

Read more Canadian who battered patriotic teen on NJ boardwalk ordered deported \u2014 as she downplays caught-on-camera attack<\/a><\/p>\n

The $50 million wrongful death suit by Martha Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s family will be filed in Manhattan civil court, a filing Tuesday revealed \u2014 just one day before the anniversary of when the designer died on a boat docked in the club.<\/p>\n

The family accuses the boat\u2019s owner Christopher Durnan \u2014 an insurance mogul who invested in Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra swimwear fashion company East x East \u2014 of causing her death through assault, negligence and gross negligence.<\/p>\n

The court filing effectively announcing the lawsuit doesn\u2019t detail specific accusations against Durnan, but contends in legalese that he \u201cintentionally and wrongfully assaulted\u201d Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra.<\/p>\n

Durnan is also accused of gross negligence and reckless and wanton conduct.<\/p>\n

The alleged assault and negligence caused Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s death either individually or in combination, the filing contends.<\/p>\n

Police originally said they believed that Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra died of an accidental drug overdose, but sources close to the family confirmed an independent autopsy found she only had \u201ctrace amounts of cocaine\u201d in her system.<\/p>\n

Instead, the independent autopsy found some form of assault led to Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s death, sources said.<\/p>\n

The accusations against Durnan add a new wrinkle to the still-murky circumstances behind Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s death on Aug. 5, 2025.<\/p>\n

A native of Ireland, Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra, 33, moved to New York City a decade ago and quickly adopted a glamorous, jet-setting lifestyle. <\/p>\n

She staked out a career as a fashion designer, hoping to find a foothold in the the affluent Hamptons.<\/p>\n

Durnan entered Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s orbit and invested in her swimwear brand, owning a 13% stake.<\/p>\n

Read more NY police bigwig accused of driving getaway car for her gangbanger son immediately fired<\/a><\/p>\n

The insurance company owner \u2014 who was once sued for allegedly biting a retired FDNY firefighter on the 20th anniversary of 9\/11 \u2014 was well-known in the area and owned a boat called the Ripple docked in the yacht club.<\/p>\n

Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra met with Durnan onboard the Ripple late Aug. 4, 2025, for a business meeting, according to New York magazine.<\/p>\n

At one point, Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s boyfriend and friends became worried she wasn\u2019t answering any messages, with one hauntingly texting, \u201cI\u2019m sure her phone died. Or maybe she\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

The designer soon responded that she was at the yacht club, but roughly an hour later she died, police said.<\/p>\n

She was found unconscious on the docked Ripple after residents nearby reported hearing screams late at night. <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

They were greeted by the sight of a naked man \u2014 Durnan, according to New York \u2014 who threw sunscreen at other boats to wake up sleeping boaters.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo something!\u201d\u00a0the naked man screamed, good Samaritans later told The Post.<\/p>\n

Bystanders tried to resuscitate the Irish beauty but she was pronounced dead by first responders.<\/p>\n

The shadowy circumstances behind Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s death quickly drew attention, but Suffolk County cops were slow to provide answers.<\/p>\n

Police denied multiple freedom of information requests from The Post for Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s autopsy and other documents things related to her case as the investigation \u201cremains open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Dolphins president Tom Garfinkel steps away after 13 years in massive franchise change<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family plans to file a wrongful death suit against a well-heeled investor, accusing him of an assault that caused her demise, according to a filing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | Family of NYC fashion designer who died in Montauk yacht mystery claims owner caused her death, plans $50M lawsuit - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6155\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | Family of NYC fashion designer who died in Montauk yacht mystery claims owner caused her death, plans $50M lawsuit - 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