In court filings obtained by The Independent, actress\/director\/writer\/producer\/model Shannah Laumeister Stern, who in 2009 secretly married Bert Stern<\/a>, a leading fashion photographer of the 1950s and 1960s, says the roughly 2,500 negatives long ago went missing \u201cin the middle of the night\u201d from Stern\u2019s apartment. <\/p>\n The collection of photographs became known as \u201cThe Last Sitting<\/a>.\u201d Commissioned by Vogue magazine, they were taken in Suite 261 at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles during a three-day session in late June 1962. Monroe passed away six weeks later. Nowadays, individual prints from the shoot sell for as much as $25,000<\/a>. In 2018, an unrelated dispute found the copyright to the iconic images belonged to Laumeister Stern<\/a>, but the physical ownership of the negatives has never been tested.<\/p>\n Stern, who died in 2013, always \u201csuspected that the Mafia was behind the theft of the photo negatives, and that they also bore responsibility for Marilyn Monroe\u2019s untimely death,\u201d according to a complaint Laumeister Stern filed Tuesday in New York County Supreme Court.<\/p>\n \u201cBert Stern\u2019s fear and suspicion seemed to be confirmed as he periodically received anonymous messages from an individual in Las Vegas taunting him over the \u2018missing\u2019 photo negatives,\u201d the complaint<\/a> states. \u201cAs such, Bert Stern was legitimately scared and intimidated by the circumstances surrounding the theft of the photo negatives.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n A batch of negatives from Marilyn Monroe’s final photo shoot with late lensman Bert Stern, seen here in 2011, are now at the center of a contentious court battle. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n The whereabouts of the negatives were unknown until 2023, when Laumeister Stern was contacted by an attorney representing a woman identified only as \u201cJane Doe.\u201d Doe said Stern had given the negatives to her late husband as collateral for a loan that was never repaid, the complaint goes on. <\/p>\n However, it contends that the purported loan never existed, and that Laumeister Stern<\/a> cut off contact with Doe\u2019s lawyer following his offer to return the negatives in exchange for a $3 million payment \u2013 a proposal the complaint describes as \u201ca shake down [sic] as well as possibly related to the taunting messages Bert Stern had received.\u201d<\/p>\n Doe subsequently consigned the negatives to Dallas-based Heritage Auctions<\/a>, which is scheduled to put them up for bids on November 8. Laumeister Stern now wants the negatives back, and is asking a judge to halt the planned sale. <\/p>\n \u201cThe relief requested herein is necessary to prevent irreparable harm to the Estate and legacy of Bert Stern and Marilyn Monroe,\u201d the complaint contends.<\/p>\n In a statement provided to The Independent, Laumeister Stern said, \u201cI am completely distraught, heartbroken, and feel utterly exploited. They have demonstrated absolutely no respect for Bert or his legacy, which I am here to protect. They have shown total disregard for the estate and me. I feel deeply disrespected, used, and taken advantage of. The stolen negatives belong back with the Bert Stern Trust. Nothing will stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n Attorney Richard Aulisi<\/a>, a retired New York State Supreme Court judge who is representing Doe, said on Wednesday that the allegations in Laumeister Stern\u2019s complaint may sound tantalizing but are not at all accurate.<\/p>\n \u201cMy client intends to fight this,\u201d Aulisi told The Independent. \u201cThere is no legal or factual basis for this action.\u201d<\/p>\n In an email, a spokesperson for Heritage Auctions said, \u201cThe consigner warranted good title in these items and we have no reason to believe otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n A tranche of negatives from the last photoshoot ever with Monroe, seen here in 1950 with New York Yankees legend and then-husband Joe DiMaggio, is set to be auctioned off Monday, unless the widow of the late lensman who took the snaps can put a stop to the planned sale. (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Although Heritage declined to answer any follow-up questions, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Independent that Stern gave the negatives to Doe\u2019s deceased husband in the late 1970s or early 1980s.<\/p>\n Following Bert Stern\u2019s death, Shannah Laumeister Stern was put in charge of his estate, her complaint says.<\/p>\n But, it continues, missing from his massive body of work were the more than 2,500 negatives from The Last Sitting<\/a>. Stern believed someone associated with the Mob was behind the heist, and speculation by many<\/a> has linked Monroe\u2019s death to La Cosa Nostra<\/a>.<\/p>\n Over the years, Stern claimed to have been contacted periodically by an unknown person in Las Vegas who delighted in \u201ctaunting him\u201d about the lost negatives, according to the complaint. Those comments, the filing maintains, frightened Stern.<\/p>\n \u201cThe location of the stolen photo negatives would remain a mystery until [Laumeister Stern was] contacted by an attorney in July 2023 informing [her] that he represents the anonymous possessor of the photo negatives who he claims is a good faith possessor, having acquired the photo negatives from her late husband,\u201d the complaint states.<\/p>\n The attorney \u201cfirst claimed that the stolen photo negatives were retrieved from the trash before claiming that the anonymous possessor\u2019s late husband acquired the photo negatives as collateral for a loan to Bert Stern that was never repaid, but no such agreement exists,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Shannah Laumeister Stern (center), the widow of celebrated photographer Bert Stern, seen here in 2004 with actors Vince Van Patten and James Woods. She is now attempting to halt the sale of 2,500 negatives her late husband took of Marilyn Monroe, claiming they were stolen by the Mafia. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n Given the attorney\u2019s \u201cconflicting stories\u201d about the negatives, along with his \u201cunwillingness to disclose the identity of his client,\u201d who he would only describe as a onetime \u201cbusiness partner\u201d of Stern, the complaint says Laumeister Stern \u201cfelt like this was a shake down[,] as well as possibly related to the taunting messages Bert Stern had received.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCommunications with this attorney ceased when he demanded $3 million dollars for the return of the photo negatives,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-132007878.jpeg\")
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