The owners of Marilyn Monroe’s last home are suing Los Angeles to have it demolished
The owners of the Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died have begun a legal battle against Mayor Karen Bass and the City of Los Angeles.
Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank bought the notorious Brentwood estate for just over US$8 million ($A11 million) in 2023.
Soon after, they applied for — and received — a city permit to demolish the home and start new construction, according to the lawsuit obtained by the California Post.
That’s when the problems started for the homeowners, who say the city rushed in to designate the home a “Historic Landmark” in 2024 – after permits were approved.
“By doing this, the city has turned the area into a tourist attraction, attracting (as the city wanted and expected) traffic on the short, narrow road at the end of the site and many trespassers jumping over the walls of the buildings to enter the ‘designated’ house (which cannot be seen from the public area because of the local wall),” the building wall and state documents.
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The owners of the Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died have begun a legal battle. Photo: Getty Images
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Monroe died at home in August 1962. Photo: Getty Images
Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank have purchased a popular Brentwood estate for just over $8 million in 2023. Photo: Getty Images
The new attention on the house has allegedly forced the owners of the house to hire their own security guards to keep an eye on the property. They say thieves break in in November looking for souvenirs.
The Spanish-style bungalow with a swimming pool, on a dead-end street in the middle of a multimillion-dollar complex, has been a tourist attraction since Monroe’s naked body was wheeled out of the home on a gurney in August 1962.
According to the lawsuit, the property “was owned for about six months in 1962 by Marilyn Monroe – she used to live in a small house in the area – while traveling a lot during her short ownership in her permanent home in New York City and elsewhere – before she died in the area in August 1962”.
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Marilyn Monroe had a house for about six months in 1962. Photo: Getty Images
The new attention on the house has allegedly forced the owners of the house to hire their own security guards to keep an eye on the property. Photo: US District Court, California
The owners say thieves broke in back in November looking for memorabilia. Photo: US District Court, California
Monroe’s body was found in the master bedroom, surrounded by prescription pills. He died of a barbiturate overdose which is suspected to be a suicide.
Milstein and Banks argue in their lawsuit that the city lost interest in the home in the 60 years after Monroe’s death, and it went through multiple renovations and multiple owners.
They say the historic designation has now “rendered the property worthless” and has completely barred their ability to spend the US$8.3 million ($A11.7 million) they put towards the home.
The couple is asking the court to allow them to proceed with their plans to demolish the house or force the city to pay the price of the house.
Portions of this story first appeared in TheCalifornia Post and are republished with permission.
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