A man was confused and more than a little concerned when he discovered a $1.5 million house being built on his property. Personally, I'd be ecstatic. Seems like a free house after a little lawsuit no?
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Man Baffled To Discover $1.5 Million House
Dr. Daniel Kenigsberg owns land at 51 Sky Top Terrace in Connecticut. Yes, he's owned the land for 30 years. But why should that matter? He still had some big plans for it.
Imagine his surprise when he was told by a friend that work had begun on his half-acre plot. of course, knowing he never sold the plot, he traveled to investigate. Turns out the plot was allegedly 'sold' to 51 Sky Top Partners LLC for $350,000 in October 2022. Once again, Dr. Kenigsberg never sold the plot.
Now, the house in question was estimated to be worth $1,475,000 and reportedly had a buyer under contract. Naturally, Dr. Kenigsberg decided to sue the local developer. You know, for building on land that wasn't theirs. Then he sued the Trumbell lawyer and firm that handled the closing.
The suit was filed in July of 2023, and the doctor was looking for damages in the sum of $2 million. Seems fair to me. Of course, I don't know why he wouldn't just sue for the rights to sell the house. Instead, he wanted the house destroyed and his property returned to normal. Again, seems fair. I would want my car back if someone had spray-painted it.
In a statement, the doctor said, "I'm angry that so many people were so negligent that this could have happened." He added, "It's more than obnoxious - it's offensive and wrong."
The Scam
In 2024, a major update was made via CT Insider. Anthony Monelli, the Trumbull lawyer who participated in the land sale, was sued by two parties. We already knew he was sued by Dr. Kenisberg; that's old news. But turns out he was also sued by the builders who had purchased the land to build the home.
In a bizarre twist, after getting double-sued, Monelli admits he made a mistake. (You think?) He has gone on to, in his own words, "each other lawyers about this so it doesn't happen anymore." This reminds me of a saying. Something about hindsight being 20/20.
In the end, Dr. Kenigsberg got his settlement money, and Sky Top Partners got to sell their property. Its the old win-win-lose situation. Good luck to Mr. Monelli. I hope the job market for real estate lawyers is hot.
