A Los Angeles couple who own the property where famed starlet Marilyn Monroe spent her final days is suing the city, claiming they are being prevented from demolishing the home so the city can turn it into a historic landmark.
On Monday, Brinah Milstein and her husband, Roy Bank, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing the city of “illegal and unconstitutional conduct” after they were told they had rented the Brentwood, Calif., home that was once Monroe belonged and was not allowed to be demolished and is currently being declared a historical landmark.
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According to the lawsuit, the owners received a demolition permit shortly after purchasing the property in July 2023. The couple bought the property for an estimated $8.5 million and planned to demolish the house to expand the apartment building next door, which they also own.
“All of these backroom machinations served to preserve a house that in no way meets the criteria for a ‘historical-cultural monument,'” the lawsuit says. “For 60 years, through 14 owners and numerous renovations and building permits issued by the city, the city has taken no action on the house’s now alleged ‘historic’ or ‘cultural’ status.”
The property on Helena Drive was where Monroe died in 1962 at the age of 36. She had lived in the house for six months before her death.
“There is not a single piece of the house that contains physical evidence that Ms. Monroe ever spent a day in the house, not a piece of furniture, not a chip of paint, not a carpet, not anything,” the lawsuit says.
In September 2023, the Los Angeles City Council halted demolition and began declaring the property a historic landmark, much to the excitement of history buffs and Monroe fans.
The application to make the property a landmark was approved by the city council’s Heritage Commission and Planning and Land Use Management Committee earlier this year.
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The lawsuit alleges that the city council caused the couple “irreparable harm,” including $30,000 in demolition costs and the loss of their “acquired rights as property owners.”
The final decision to designate the property as a historic monument will be made in mid-June after the application is presented to the full city council.