The family of a Big Apple fashion designer mysteriously found dead in a swanky Montauk yacht club plans to file a bombshell lawsuit accusing a well-heeled investor of causing her demise, The Post exclusively learned.<\/p>\n
The $50 million wrongful death suit by Martha Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s family will be filed in Manhattan civil court, a filing Tuesday revealed \u2014 just one day before the anniversary of when the designer died on a boat docked in the club.<\/p>\n
The family accuses the boat\u2019s owner Christopher Durnan \u2014 an insurance mogul who invested in Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra swimwear fashion company East x East \u2014 of causing her death through assault, negligence and gross negligence.<\/p>\n
The family of Martha Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit on the one-year anniversary of her death. Instagram\/Dylan Grace<\/p>\n
The court filing effectively announcing the lawsuit doesn\u2019t detail specific accusations against Durnan, but contends in legalese that he \u201cintentionally and wrongfully assaulted\u201d Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra.<\/p>\n
Durnan is also accused of gross negligence and reckless and wanton conduct.<\/p>\n
The alleged assault and negligence caused Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s death either individually or in combination, the filing contends.<\/p>\n
Police originally said they believed that Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra died of an accidental drug overdose, but sources close to the family confirmed an independent autopsy<\/a> found she only had \u201ctrace amounts of cocaine\u201d in her system.<\/p>\n Instead, the independent autopsy found some form of assault led to Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s death, sources said.<\/p>\n The accusations against Durnan add a new wrinkle to the still-murky circumstances behind Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s death on Aug. 5, 2025.<\/p>\n Nolan was found dead on a boat owned by Christopher Durnan. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post<\/p>\n A native of Ireland, Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra, 33, moved to New York City a decade ago and quickly adopted a glamorous, jet-setting lifestyle. <\/p>\n She staked out a career as a fashion designer, hoping to find a foothold in the the affluent Hamptons.<\/p>\n Durnan entered Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s orbit and invested in her swimwear brand, owning a 13% stake.<\/p>\n Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra lived in Manhattan resident but originally hailed from Ireland. Instagram\/@marthanolan<\/p>\n The insurance company owner \u2014 who was once sued for allegedly biting a retired FDNY firefighter<\/a> on the 20th anniversary of 9\/11 \u2014 was well-known in the area and owned a boat called the Ripple docked in the yacht club.<\/p>\n Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra met with Durnan onboard the Ripple late Aug. 4, 2025, for a business meeting, according to New York magazine.<\/a><\/p>\n At one point, Nolan-O\u2019Slatarra\u2019s boyfriend and friends became worried she wasn\u2019t answering any messages, with one hauntingly texting, \u201cI\u2019m sure her phone died. Or maybe she\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n The designer\u2019s mysterious death quickly drew attention.<\/p>\n The designer soon responded that she was at the yacht club, but roughly an hour later she died, police said.<\/p>\n She was found unconscious on the docked Ripple after residents nearby reported hearing screams late at night<\/a>. <\/p>\n They were greeted by the sight of a naked man \u2014 Durnan, according to New York \u2014 who threw sunscreen at other boats to wake up sleeping boaters.<\/p>\n