Suit against Durst dismissed

PINE PLAINS — The lawsuit brought against The Durst Organization and its founder, real estate tycoon Douglas Durst, by a company representing Pamela Carvel (niece to ice-cream giant Thomas Carvel) has been dropped.

“The judge dismissed the case yesterday [Oct. 8, 2008] in our favor before it went to the jury,â€� wrote Jordan Barowitz,   director of external affairs at The Durst Organization, in an e-mail to The Millerton News.

The lawsuit centered around Durst’s bid on Thomas Carvel’s house years ago, when he purchased the roughly 2,000 acres of property that he is now seeking to develop into a luxury home and world-class golf course community.

According to Barowitz, the issue was based on nonpayment of property taxes. He said that the owner of the property, located at 398 Woodward Hill Road, did not pay property taxes, and therefore an auction was ordered by the Dutchess County Supreme Court.

“1133 Taconic LLC [a Durst company] had the highest bid amongst others and took possession of the property,� Jordan stated. “Subsequently, the court reversed the decision authorizing the public auction after Lartrym, an off-shore corporation based in Tortola, filed a complaint.�

The lawsuit filed by Lartrym was seeking damages as a result of the court-ordered sale. Because the sale was approved by the court, Durst and 1133 Taconic LLC, contested the lawsuit.

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