The individuals who own the Brentwood house where Marilyn Monroe resided and eventually passed away are taking legal action against the City of Los Angeles for the right to demolish the property, citing 'backroom machinations.'
Brinah Milstein and her husband, Roy Bank, bought the property in July 2023 and have since filed a lawsuit at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, alleging "illegal and unconstitutional conduct and abuse of power" by the city over the home, reported Business Insider.
The lawsuit states the couple had purchased the home for $8.35 million and planned to destroy it to expand their current residence, which is located next door, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Last September, the Los Angeles City Council stepped in to temporarily stop the demolition of the residence, a decision that was embraced by both fans and historians.
"All of these backroom machinations were in the name of preserving a house which in no way meets any of the criteria for an 'Historic Cultural Monument," the lawsuit states. "That much is bolstered by the fact, among others, that for 60 years through 14 owners and numerous remodels and building permits issued by the city, the city has taken no action regarding the now-alleged 'historic' or 'cultural' status of the house."
Monroe purchased the property in 1962 for roughly $77,000 and considered the home a new beginning following her divorce from playwright Arthur Miller.
The home also holds special significance in memorializing Monroe, as its' front step tiles read "Cursum Perficio," Latin for "my journey ends here."
Pushing back, the plaintiffs claim they were issued a demolition permit from the city, which was originally "held" for 30 days to allow for objections.
They've said that no objections were mentioned, and the permits were then issued, for which they spent over $30,000 in expenses before receiving an actual notice of a "stay" invoked by the city.
However, in September of last year, City Council also initiated proceedings to evaluate the potential designation of the property as a historic cultural monument.
Now the couple is fighting back-- legally.
They doubled down in the lawsuit, contending Monroe had lived in the house for only a short time- less than six months in 1962- and that the house has been "substantially altered" over the years.
"There is not a single piece of the house that includes any physical evidence that Ms. Monroe ever spent a day at the house-not a piece of furniture, not a paint chip, not a carpet, nothing," it said.
The City Council is set to vote on whether to declare the house a historic cultural monument by mid-June.
Monroe died from an overdose on the Brentwood property at the age of just 36.
