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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.
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 NCPDOthers
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.