Model at war with interior designer neighbor over unfinished mansion... and 'romps with the builder'
A glamorous model enraged her married interior designer neighbor by accusing her of a steamy affair with a construction worker and claiming it had derailed the renovation of her $6 million mansion.
Danielle Braverman, 44, and husband David Reis, 47, said designer Hayley Servatius, 45, was so distracted by an alleged fling with John Soderstrom that she ended up stealing from them and defrauding them, BusinessDen reported.
Servatius - who lives 500 feet from Braverman and Reiss in glitzy Greenwood Village, Colorado, has angrily denied the affair, saying: 'No. I am a God-fearing woman' during a recent deposition.
'No. I have never had a romantic relationship with anybody other than my husband,' added Servatius. She is married to marketing executive Matthew Servatius, 45, and the couple have three young children.
Flirty text messages between Servatius and Soderstrom will be shown to jurors at a civil trial that's currently underway in Centennial, but jurors will not be told of the affair accusations, BusinessDen reported.
Servatius has countersued Braverman and Reis. She claims her neighbors were nightmare clients who piled extra work on her after the initial project was agreed, and left her tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
She further alleges that Braverman and Reis failed to pay their invoices and the pair threatened to 'destroy' her company HLS Designs.
A Colorado jury this week is hearing evidence in Braverman and Reis' lawsuit, which seeks $437,000 'in direct costs and far more in punitive damages,' after alleging misdeeds including theft, fraud and breach of contract.
The discord stems from projects at the couple's six-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom mansion, which they bought in 2020 for nearly $1.8million.
They secured the interior design services of neighbor Servatius, who 'curates beautiful moments, styles and décor' and 'livable, timeless and awe inspiring fashion and home décor,' according to the description for one of her businesses, Vintage Lane Interiors – which ends with the line: 'Jesus and mom things.'
But the relationship quickly soured. Braverman claims that Servatius lied about her credentials, falsely promised that the home would be featured in a glossy magazine and quit the project before it was finished,
The renovations were scheduled to be completed by mid-2022 but weren't, and the couple said they found 'major design flaws' when they took up residence at the home in November 2022, BusinessDen said.
Braverman claimed in court filings that Servatius used her credit card to buy furnishings, received 'large commissions' from vendors and instead put the items in her own home, where they were spotted in 'photographs on the defendants' Instagram account.'
'That includes a Raku hand-knotted rug, a Thaddeus marble side table, Truman floor lamps, a Drew curved swivel custom chair, Graydon Shagreen nesting tables, a crystal floor lamp, butterfly sheet sets and a Mara performance handwoven rug,' BusinessDen quotes the lawsuit as listing.
The couple insist that Servatius 'doctored invoices to fraudulently increase the cost' of high-end furniture – including with court filings examples of such invoices, like a two-piece sectional costing $23,474 which the designer allegedly billed Braverman for $34,354.
Servatius, meanwhile, claims that she had to spend $15,000 of her own money during the projects, that she was only storing furniture at her home temporarily, that her neighbors refused to fully pay her and that they threatened to 'destroy' her company.
Servatius blames any shoddy work on the general contractor, Soderstrom Construction, BusinessDen reported.
Its owner John Soderstrom is the man Servatius angrily denies having an affair with.
Servatius also claims that Braverman has a history of contentious business relationships.
'Braverman has made similar false accusations and refused payment to interior design firms she's worked with on other residential properties,' Servatius claimed last July.
The trial is expected to last through the end of the week.
Braverman has enjoyed a career as an international model, speaking out publicly during her 30s about how the industry's pressures pushed her into an eating disorder – before she recovered and found work as a plus-size model.
She was previously married to the father of her two children, Michael Braverman, who died in 2018.
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