Ex-ABC Exec Drops Claims Against Mauricio Umansky's Company in $12 Million Mansion Lawsuit
May 29 2024, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
Kyle Richards' estranged husband is closer to checking one issue off his full plate. Legal documents obtained by RadarOnline.com show that the $12 million mansion homeowner who brought on a shocking lawsuit against Mauricio Umansky's UMRO Realty Corp, which included accusations of "nightmare tenants" allegedly decapitating his Emmy statue, has dropped his claims.
This outlet broke the story — award-winning ex-ABC executive Stephen McPherson sued Umansky's real estate corporation in May 2021, claiming the married tenants who came highly recommended by Mauricio's agents caused $1 million in damages to the luxurious property, stopped paying rent, and started squatting.
McPherson filed a request for dismissal with prejudice in Los Angeles court last week, notifying the court that he wanted to drop his allegations against Umansky's company; however, when the ex-network executive spoke to RadarOnline.com months ago, he was singing another tune.
“All I know is that in (UMRO’s) recommendation, they said that they had worked with them for years and that they were vouching for them,” he charged during our exclusive interview in October. “You tell me what that means.”
As we reported, McPherson claimed his home was flipped upside down by the couple, who allegedly caused damage to the furniture, garden, artwork, and his treasured 2005 Emmy statue.
“Once an Emmy is broken, it’s broken; you can’t fix it per se,” McPherson told RadarOnline.com. “There were a lot of things, like the Emmy and other keepsakes — even just family things — that were destroyed or stolen completely.”
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McPherson claimed that the tenants agreed to a six-month lease to move into his fully furnished multimillion-dollar mansion for $55k per month in October 2020, but things allegedly began disappearing.
He accused the couple of going through a storage closet and his wine cellar, damaging pricey designer clothing while claiming that artwork and furniture vanished from his home.
In the lawsuit, McPherson said the lease expired in April 2021, but the tenants allegedly refused to vacate his property and lived rent-free inside his mansion. McPherson was forced to file eviction papers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The sad thing about all this is that the tenants themselves were never brought to justice and it’s really horrific and unfortunate,” he told us last year. While he initially wanted justice, it appears he's now had a change of heart.
While this could lighten the load on Umansky, his crumbling marriage to Richards is still making headlines. The real estate mogul recently moved out of their $10 million marital mansion and found a bachelor pad in West Hollywood. Umansky and Richards have not filed for divorce, but The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star spoke about the move.
“I had been away and he did this while I was out of town, which is the smart thing to do. I had said I didn’t want to be there to see that. So it was just strange. And it’s like wow, it’s gonna be like this sometimes,” Richard said on the B---- Bible podcast earlier this month. “It’s an adjustment for sure."