Talk about a grave injustice.<\/p>\n
One of Old Hollywood\u2019s last stately mansions, connected to deceased real estate investor Paris Nourafchan, is on the market for $16.9 million \u2014 all while his name remains embroiled in a vitriolic legal dispute involving his also-deceased brother, Richard.<\/p>\n
As the case involving Richard\u2019s death rattles through California Superior Court, accusations of forgery, fraud, elder abuse and a bat mitzvah that allegedly went off the rails are flying.<\/p>\n
Marc Nourafchan and his father, Paris Nourafchan, in 2022.<\/p>\n
Richard Nourafchan (right) died in 2024. @sasharahbanre\/Instagram<\/p>\n
An aerial of the Los Angeles estate tied to the late Paris. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
The suit does not name this listed Holmby Hills home at 1196 Brooklawn Dr. or the legal entity that owns it \u2014 but the legal tussles between Paris and his nephew, Nicholas Rahban, over alleged actions by Richard on his deathbed could cast a pall over the mansion\u2019s sale.<\/p>\n
Both Paris and Rahban are claiming the right to Richard\u2019s holdings after separate visits just days, if not hours, before the dying 78-year-old man lapsed into a coma from which he never emerged. He died in 2024.<\/p>\n
Paris and Rahban both say they came away from their visits with valid will and trust documents that made them the stewards of Richard\u2019s estate.<\/p>\n
Rahban filed the suit against Paris individually and as the trustee of Richard\u2019s assets before Paris passed away last year, and the battle continues in his Paris\u2019s name. Paris, in his own legal action, has contested Rahban\u2019s probate petition.<\/p>\n
The property is known for its striking two-level theater. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
The 4,000-square-foot theater portion stands as a separate structure. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
Clint Eastwood chose the huge theater for a key scene in his film, \u201cFirefox,\u201d Marc Nouafchan said. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
Both sides have presented wills and trusts to the court that they say are legit, while accusing each other of using unsavory tactics to get the documents. These include allegedly faking the fading Richard\u2019s signature and strongarming him.<\/p>\n
Rahban got his authorization after pulling a make-a-will kit from an online site and photoshopping his uncle\u2019s name and initials on it, Paris\u2019s papers claim.<\/p>\n
Rahban, for his part, contends that his uncle Richard loathed his brother, alleging that Richard refused to join Paris and their other brother George for a candle-lighting ceremony during a grandniece\u2019s bat mitzvah, and yelled to the rest of the family, \u201cI\u2019m not getting on the stage with those crooks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both men have denied the other\u2019s claims and say in court papers their close relationship with Richard compelled him to leave them his assets.<\/p>\n
Paris suggests Rahban is the family\u2019s black sheep and an opportunist, noting in court papers that he has not been successful in business endeavors and claims Richard wanted his estate to be divvied up by giving Paris and George each a third and the rest to go to other relatives \u2014 while Rahban \u201cis desperate to obtain the entirety of Richard\u2019s wealth.\u201d The three brothers had been in business together.<\/p>\n
The home comes with a pool and stands surrounded by palms. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
The marketing images show an empty home, but one with potential. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
Old glamour abounds in the details. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
Rahban wants the court to award him double the \u201cat least some tens of millions of dollars\u201d he says the estate is worth, and wants the extra amount to come from Paris personally. Rahban\u2019s suit bases his request on the assets\u2019 own value and penalties through a California statute involving elder abuse Paris allegedly committed by bullying Richard into signing. Or, Paris forged his brother\u2019s signature, Rahban\u2019s suit says.<\/p>\n
Rahban has a lot at stake, with his inheritance going from 100% to around 8% if his uncle\u2019s lawsuit prevails, according to his filings.<\/p>\n
Rahban did not return calls requesting comments about the suit. <\/p>\n
Paris\u2019s son Marc Nourafchan, who is one of his heirs, told The Post the mansion \u201cis in no way\u201d connected to the suit, although word about the family fracas could put \u201ca cloud\u201d over its sale.<\/p>\n
Estate planning attorney Nicole Israel, who is not involved in the case, pointed out that \u201cwhen someone in a probate case is named individually,\u201d as Paris was, it can \u201copen the door to their assets being laid claim to by the plaintiff.\u201d<\/p>\n
The home\u2019s exterior. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
The spread has seen a price reduction since listing for sale. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
Another estate planning attorney, Craig Redler, who is also not involved with the suit, agreed, though neither would comment on the specifics of this case. Marc added that the home has seen a lot of foot traffic since his decision last month to cut $2 million from the $18.9 million he listed the mansion for in the spring.<\/p>\n
The parties are due back in court in January.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Marc continues his efforts to sell the 6,477-square-foot Holmby Hills mansion, known as Villa d\u2019Este, and its separate onsite 4,000-square-foot theater, both of which were built in 1929 as magnificent examples of Old Hollywood flare.<\/p>\n
The five-bedroom Spanish Colonial home and its 1.6-acre grounds \u201care spectacular, with the kind of Hollywood glamour that doesn\u2019t exist anymore,\u201d said Drew Meyers of Westside Estate Agency, who shares the listing with colleague Kurt Rappaport. <\/p>\n
The artisans of the home\u2019s intricately hand-carved living room ceiling replicated the one they created for publisher William Randolph Hearst\u2019s architecturally awarded San Simeon estate.<\/p>\n
The hand-carved living room ceiling is a striking touch, as seen in the listing images. Marc Angeles<\/p>\n
Stevie Nicks was into the vibe and rented the estate in the 1980s. Clint Eastwood chose the huge theater for a key scene in his film, \u201cFirefox,\u201d Marc Nouafchan said. Eastwood, as director, turned the theater into a pyrotechnics-filled airplane hangar which he, playing elite pilot Michael Gant, tries to fly out while a MiG-3 next to him is exploding, and electrical systems and fuel lines are erupting in flames.<\/p>\n
The home had a much more sedate beginning, commissioned by Fox Film Corp. production chief Winfield Sheehan while he was successfully steering the studio from silent films to talkies.<\/p>\n
Under Sheehan\u2019s stewardship, Fox Film launched the word vamp into the vernacular through its film \u201cA Fool There Was,\u201d with Theda Barra playing a no-holds-barred seductress. The studio\u2019s \u201cRegeneration\u201d was the first full-length film about gangsters.<\/p>\n
Later on, the estate was a busy hub for celebrity social gatherings, with guests ranging from Shirley Temple to John Wayne, who shared the same stature in their Hollywood heydays. Neighbors included Walt Disney, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, and Frank Sinatra. The Playboy mansion was minutes away by car.<\/p>\n
Architect Burton Schutt designed the mansion around the same time he was working on the nearby Bel-Air hotel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Talk about a grave injustice. One of Old Hollywood\u2019s last stately mansions, connected to deceased real estate investor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":825926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[13439,3130,3031,10021,88773,1170,1349,74],"class_list":["post-825925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-family-feuds","tag-lawsuits","tag-los-angeles","tag-luxury-real-estate","tag-mansions","tag-real-estate","tag-residential-real-estate","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}