The Rosenheim mansion in Country Club Park, the location of the first season of American Horror Story, is now at the center of a lawsuit. The plaintiffs, Ernest Von Schwartz and Pier A. Oaken, purchased the house from Von Steinbauer in 2015 for $3.2 million. They are suing Steinbauer’s estate as well as the Coldwell Banker realtors and brokers that represented both parties claiming “they failed to disclose the site had become a [tourist attraction] for hundreds of AHS fans, some of whom have tried to break in, and that the seller hadn’t completed required repairs to the property.”
The complaint was filed on February 7, 2018 in the Los Angeles Country Superior Court claiming five causes of action including breach of contract and fraudulent concealment. The plaintiffs allege not to have been told of the home’s use in American Horror Story or made aware of the “damage to the roof, gutters, significant leaks, water intrusion and mold.” They are asking for $3 million in damages. The defendants filed a motion for summary judgment on October 16, 2018 arguing that Steinbauer did disclose the history of the site, including its use in film and TV, as well as its substantial deterioration. The Coldwell Banker realtors also claim they did not know of the nuisance caused by visiting fans and are therefore shielded from liability.
Katherine Khazal is an Entertainment Highlight Contributor for the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law and a current first year student at Harvard Law School (Class of 2021)
Image: Rosenheim Mansion, Alfred Rosenheim, Architect 1915, MichaelJLocke, CC BY-SA 4.0
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