realestate

Kevin Spacey's Legal Battle: Fighting Foreclosure on His Mansion

Lawyers of the troubled actor claim the auction took place unexpectedly, at a low price, and accuse the buyer of intimidating Spacey to vacate.

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mbattled celebrity Kevin Spacey's legal team is seeking a court order to halt the sale of his Baltimore mansion to a Bethesda real estate mogul named Sam Asgari. The "House of Cards" star's lawyers claim the auction was a "sham" and that Asgari has been using intimidation tactics to force Spacey out of his waterfront home.

    In court documents obtained by The Post, Spacey's lawyer, Edward U. Lee III, alleges Asgari has been using bullying behavior to harass Spacey into vacating early. Lee claims Asgari slapped an eviction notice on the property, falsely declaring it "abandoned" to intimidate Spacey. Even after being informed the home wasn't abandoned, Lee says Asgari continued his "bullying and threatening behavior."

    Spacey fell behind on his mortgage payments, and his Baltimore mansion was sold at a public auction in July. Asgari placed the winning bid of $3.24 million, nearly $2 million less than what Spacey paid for it. Now, Spacey wants the Baltimore Circuit Court to block Asgari's purchase and put the luxury home back on the market, claiming the sale process was flawed and unfair.

    Asgari denies Spacey's claims, calling them "frivolous" and expects them to be thrown out. He also proposed a $50,000 "cash-for-keys" payoff for Spacey to leave quickly, which Spacey's camp countered with a suggestion to stay until February if he didn't interfere with the sale.

    The battle for Spacey's lavish home comes after a debt collection agency initiated the foreclosure in April 2022. Spacey's team tried to negotiate in mediation twice but failed to prevent the auction. The actor's homeowners association also slapped a lien on the property over unpaid fees.

    Lee claims the auction didn't give the home its due, saying the ad for the sale glossed over key details of the "luxury, waterfront mansion," which had once been touted as "Baltimore's most extraordinary home." The five-story property boasts five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, an elevator, a home theater, and a four-car garage.

    In the filing, Lee also took issue with Asgari's media blitz, alleging the investor escalated the pressure with comments to the Baltimore Banner about Spacey "refusing to leave," which drew a media storm and scrutiny on Spacey's affairs. According to Lee, Asgari even threatened to go public with Inside Edition and CBS News unless he got an immediate response on the move-out date.

    The dwelling became Spacey's primary residence after Netflix booted him from "House of Cards" over sexual assault allegations. Spacey, visibly emotional in a recent sit-down with Piers Morgan, confessed he's "not quite sure where I'm going to live now," and revealed he's millions in debt, unable to pay his legal bills and moving his belongings into storage.

Actor Kevin Spacey defends his mansion against foreclosure in Massachusetts.