In 1983, real estate tycoons and hoteliers Harry and Leona Helmsley bought the weekend retreat of their dreams. The newly acquired 21 room estate, known as Dunnellen Hall, was situated on 26 sprawling acres in Greenwich, Connecticut. The cost of the enormous house and surrounding property was a staggering $11 million.
Although the property was beautiful by most standards, the Helmsleys decided that they wanted to make changes and a lot of them. Several years of remodeling and redecoration went into the house, totaling some $8 million dollars. It was an outrageous sum of money they were reluctant to pay, despite the fact that they were worth well over a billion dollars. They were even more hesitant to shell out the taxes due on the extra expenditures. Instead of paying up, the Helmsleys chose to take an illegal route. Greed would eventually get the better of them.
During and following the work on the house, a group of contractors, including decorators, gardeners, painters and landscapers, attempted to collect on the money owed to them for their hard labor and materials. To their dismay, they learned that the Helmsleys were unwilling to pay the bills. Leona claimed that much of the completed work was inadequate and they were being grossly overcharged. Angered and frustrated, many of the contractors were forced to file suit against the Helmsleys. Leona and Harry eventually settled some of the outstanding debts but by then it was too late.
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