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Mohamed Hadid ordered to pay $2.6M in mansion dispute

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Gigi and Bella Hadid’s father Mohamed not only lost this real estate battle, but he’s now been ordered to pay legal fees. 

A judge has instructed the supermodel sisters’ 74-year-old pop to help his neighborhood nemesis with court costs following a five-year case regarding the developer’s now-demolished mega-mansion

Mohamed Hadid has spent a significant part of the past half-decade losing a legal battle over his enormous Bel-Air estate, a compound so sprawling it gained the nickname the Starship Enterprise, the Daily Mail reported. 

The troubles with Hadid’s dream house began in 2015, when the city of Los Angeles criminally prosecuted him for failing to comply with stop work orders issued on the structure, which by that point had ballooned to some 30,000 square feet — twice the size permitted for the plot. 

When, in 2018, the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star still hadn’t shrunk his abode or torn it down, as LA had ordered, those living beneath the hilltop behemoth filed a civil suit. 

Many appeals, court proceedings, and one trial later, Hadid’s neighbors were victorious: Last year, the Starship Enterprise faced the wrecking ball. 

A very expensive pile of rubble! Mohamed Hadid’s half-built Bel-Air mega-mansion is torn down by demolition crews after a judge ordered the palace to be razed. BACKGRID
Hadid’s neighbors say they haven’t seen a penny of the money the model dad has been freshly ordered to pay them. BACKGRID
Mohamed Hadid and Bella Hadid attend the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize 2022 Awards Ceremony at The National Museum of Qatar on October 26, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Dave Benett/Getty Images
The 30,000-square-foot structure is seen unfinished in Los Angeles Wednesday, May 31, 2017. AP
Aerial views of Mohamed Hadid’s mega-mansion in Bel Air. Clint Brewer / BACKGRID
Mohamed Hadid attends the 2019 LACMA Art + Film Gala Presented By Gucci on Nov. 2, 2019 in Los Angeles. FilmMagic

All that remains of the leviathan today is the vast slab of its base. 

And now, to add insult to injury, LA Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan has ordered Hadid to pay $2.6 million toward his opponents’ legal costs. 

“​​I feel vindicated,” 81-year-old Joe Horacek, who led the civil suit against Hadid, told the Daily Mail of the ruling. “Now I just want Hadid to pay up and go away.”

Hadid, unsurprisingly, feels quite differently.

“This is a joke — it’s crazy,” he told the outlet. He is now threatening to countersue for “two or three hundred million dollars.” 

Indeed, Hadid filed a still-pending third appeal against his neighbors just this January. 

Horacek hardly seems phased by the lack of cooperation, and expects to need more legal assistance if he’s ever going to see any of the judge-ordered payout. 

“We haven’t seen a penny from Hadid. We’ll have to hire people to chase down his assets if we want to get paid,” Horacek said. 

Still, he’s happy to be rid of Hadid’s gargantuan villa. 

“We’re so happy to be able to look outside and not see that monstrosity — and not have to worry about it coming down on top of us,” he said.

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Chauncey Koziol

Update: 2024-07-09