Country club facing lawsuit from customer who claims a waiter spilled red wine on her $30,000 Hermes handbag says the purse is a FAKE

• Maryana Beyder filed a $30,000 lawsuit against Alpine Country Club late last month, alleging that a server spilled red wine on her Hermès Kelly bag
• A lawyer for the club, Ken Merber, has now alleged that the bag is a counterfeit 
• Merber said an expert examined the bag and found 'serious issues regarding the authenticity'  
• Beyder's attorney, Alexandra Errico, staunchly denied the counterfeit claim
• She insisted that her legal team is armed with two authentication reports 
• The club is now also suing the waiter allegedly responsible for the spill 

 A New Jersey country club that is being sued after a waiter allegedly spilled red wine on a customer's $30,000 Hermès handbag has claimed the purse is a fake.  The attorney representing Alpine Country Club, Ken Merber, said that the establishment had Maryana Beyder's handbag 'examined by an expert' after she accused a server of dousing it and her in red wine while she dined there last fall. 

• There are serious issues regarding the authenticity of the bag,' Merber said.  
  'Plaintiff has not provided any receipt pertaining to the purchase of the subject handbag,' the attorney added in a statement to DailyMail.com. 
  Beyder's lawyer, Alexandra Errico, staunchly denied the counterfeit claim, insisting that her legal team is armed with two authentication reports. 
  'She would not be suing for the value of the bag if the bag wasn't authentic,' Errico said.  
  

  
  

  A New Jersey country club that is being sued after a waiter allegedly spilled red wine on a customer Maryana Beyder's Hermès handbag has claimed the purse is a fake. Beyder (pictured) filed her lawsuit against the club late last month, demanding $30,000 in damages
  

  
  

  The attorney representing Alpine Country Club said that the establishment had Maryana Beyder's handbag 'examined by an expert' who found 'serious issues regarding the authenticity of the bag'. Hermès bags retail for tens of thousands of dollars (file photo)
  Beyder filed her suit against the Alpine Country Club late last month, demanding $30,000 in damages for her soiled Hermès Kelly bag. 
  The club responded to the suit by denying any liability and filing a second suit against the waiter who is allegedly responsible for the spill. 
  The move is known as a 'cross claim' - where one defendant sues another in the same case. 
  'Basically they're asking the employee to pay whatever they owe under the law to my client,' Errico explained to NorthJersey.com earlier this week. 
  
  
  The response, filed Thursday, is the latest development in a months-long bitter battle between Beyder and the Alpine Country Club.   
  Beyder was enjoying a meal at the club in Demarest on September 7, 2018, when a waiter, who has not been named, spilled red wine on her pink handbag, allegedly ruining it.  
  The plaintiff claimed in her lawsuit that the handbag was essentially irreplaceable as the style was discontinued.  
  She accused the exclusive club of being negligent when it employed the server - referred to as 'John Doe' in the suit. 
  Beyder's lawyer said she tried to sort out the matter with the country club directly for over a year, but the club stopped responding. 
  Errico acknowledged that the spill was an accident, and said the club should be held responsible.  
  'The way the story read is that somehow we're blaming the employee,' Errico said. 
  'We're not. Not at all. You go to any restaurant. You have a leather jacket on. 100 dollars. 50 dollars. 20 dollars. If a waiter spills on it and it's destroyed, you're expecting the restaurant to compensate you for that particular item.' 
  

  The Alpine Country Club (pictured) in Demarest, New Jersey, responded to Beyder's lawsuit by suing the waiter allegedly responsible for the spill
  Merber addressed the lawsuit in a statement to DailyMail.com, which read in part: 'Alpine Country Club, its management, counsel and agents have taken Plaintiff’s allegations seriously and have acted reasonably and responsibly in response thereto.
  'Neither the Club nor its counsel or agents have ignored or refused to address Plaintiff’s complaint. 
  'The pleadings raise issues regarding the property damage Plaintiff claims she suffered, the authenticity of the handbag and its value.'  
  

  
  

  Beyder said she tried to sort out the matter with the country club directly for over a year, but the club stopped responding, prompting her to file the lawsuit on October 29
  Errico also said an insurance company was also dismissive about Beyder's claim because they were surprised at the cost of the bag.  
  'It's sort of like a rich person problem. They couldn't comprehend that a bag could be that much. I think that was the biggest problem with that,' Errico said. 
  'They kind of discriminated against her that she actually owned that type of bag.'
  Hermès bags retail for tens of thousands of dollars and are favored among celebrities including the Kardashians, Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez.
  In June, a Niloticus crocodile diamond Birkin 35 sold for over $200,000 at Christie's in London.
  The Hermès Himalaya niloticus crocodile Birkin 35 is named after actress Jane Birkin who, in 1983, sat next to Hermes' chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight.
  When she complained about not being able to find a good leather weekend bag, he designed a versatile one for her to use.
  Since it was introduced in 1986, the hugely popular design has been a hit with celebrities and collectors, including Victoria Beckham, who has a collection of more than 100 Birkins said to be worth nearly $2million (£1.5million).
  The sale makes the bag the second-most expensive sold at auction in Europe, tied with a 2008 Hermes Himalaya Birkin bag which sold for the same price in June 2018. A Birkin 35 Togo can cost from $12,100 upwards.
  
  

  
  

   

$1.5M in Counterfeit Goods Seized & 5 Arrested in Nassau County

Photo: Alyssa Reichel, Fern Ciraolo, Jack Huzarsky and Elsa Bonilla
Search warrants conducted Monday morning led to five arrests and the recovery of an estimated $1.5 million worth of counterfeit designer pocketbooks, watches, jewelry and clothing, law enforcement officials said at a Tuesday press conference.
Among the many items recovered during the Nassau County counterfeiting sting, a Hermes birkin bag, which retails for $21,000, was being sold for only a couple hundred dollars, police say.
The birkin, along with a Chanel bag were some of the fake designer items recovered from a Woodmere location. Alyssa Reichel, 49, of North Woodmere, was arrested for the second time for selling fake merchandise out of Ego Trip inside the Cheveux Day Spa and Salon, located at 964 Broadway, police say.

A Chanel bag, which retails for $3,000 to $4,000, and a birkin bag were being sold by Reichel out of a North Woodmere location for a couple hundred dollars each, police say.

The recovered goods, taken from locations in Hewlett, Woodmere, Syosset and Westbury, were being sold out of homes, businesses and cars, police say.
Fern Ciraolo, 53, of Hewlett Harbor, was arrested after police conducted a search warrant at her home. “When we executed that warrant, there was a strong odor of marijuana in the house,” Nassau County Det. Sgt. Patrick Ryder said.
Police say they recovered marijuana, MDMA and acid from the home.

Fern Ciraolo’s 21-year-old son, Justin Ciraolo, was arrested and charged with felony drug possession.

Justin Ciraolo via NCPD

Others arrested during the search warrants were Jack Huzarsky, 74, of Syosset, and Elsa Bonilla, 31, of Westbury. Police also conducted a search warrant in the Hempstead area, but the woman was not at home at the time. An outstanding warrant has been issued for her arrest.

Recovered goods from the Syosset location.

Recovered goods from the Syosset location.

Recovered goods from the Hewlett location.

Recovered goods from the Westbury location.

Recovered goods from the Hempstead location.

Selling fake merchandise is a nonviolent, “housewife” crime that isn’t normally viewed by the public as a serious crime.
However, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas says counterfeiting is not a victimless crime. In fact, counterfeiting is a felony and those convicted face up to four years incarceration.
Counterfeit products are often synonymous with child labor and deplorable conditions, officials say. Fake goods are not tested and may contain toxic materials. Fake electronic equipment have been known to explode or items that people put on their skin or lips have caused burns, Singas says.
Counterfeiting also costs American businesses, including mom and pop stores, more than $250 billion annually, Singas says.
Homeland Security Inspector Jason Molina says all the goods recovered from these search warrants will be destroyed.
“The holiday season is prime time for counterfeiters,” Singas said. “The message for consumers is to be vigilant and buy only from trusted retailers.”

How do you know if a good is counterfeit or not?

• High-end brands do not sell their items out of cars, houses or on the street.
• Check for stitching and the quality of the goods.
• Logos may be blurred out or have subtle spelling errors, such as a "Bolex" watch instead of a Rolex watch.
• “If it’s too good to be true, it is,” Singas says.

Fern Ciraolo was charged with two counts of second-degree counterfeiting. Huzarsky was charged with second-degree counterfeiting. Reichel was charged with two counts of second-degree counterfeiting. Bonilla was charged with four counts of second-degree counterfeiting.
All four who face counterfeiting chargers were issued a desk appearance ticket returnable at First District Court in Hempstead. Justin Ciraolo, who was charged with four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and fourth-degree criminal possession of marijuana, will be arraigned Tuesday at First District Court.