$HAMEFuL FEuD
Sibs squabble over settlement in sister’s hotel slaying
THE SIBLINGS OF a real estate investor murdered at the ritzy Jumeirah Essex House hotel have agreed to a $1.5 million settlement with the resort’s former operator and security firm — but not before airing their family’s dirty laundry.
Andree (Sara) Bejjani, 44, was stabbed and strangled in 2009 by a housekeeping manager at the Central Park South hotel after he used a key to access her room. The manager, Derrick Praileau, was convicted of the slaying and sentenced to 23 years to life in prison.
Earlier this month, Bejjani’s family filed a petition in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court, asking a judge to approve the settlement with Jumeirah Essex House and Clark Investigations and Security Corp.
Long before they reached the deal, Bejjani’s two brothers and sister duked it out in Surrogate’s Court over who would administer her estate and get to file a lawsuit.
Initially, Bejjani’s brother, Joseph, who lives in Chelsea, tried to be named administrator.
But another brother, George, swooped in and said Joseph was ineligible because he was a convicted felon, court filings show. Joseph Bejjani had a drug conviction from more than 30 years ago, according to court records.
A Surrogate’s Court judge ultimately appointed George as the administrator — despite objections from Joseph and Bejjani’s sister, Nada, who noted that George was under criminal investigation in Lebanon at the time for the death of their father.
“He is also being investigated for filing false statements with regard to our father’s death,” Nada said in a 2010 affidavit about George. “More specifically, George has filed contradictory statements in different Lebanese courts with regard to our father’s disappearance.”
The family infighting disclosed in the court filings marks a new twist in the story that grabbed headlines after the grisly murder on Sept. 19, 2009. Praileau, a father of two from the Bronx who’d worked at the Essex House for 12 years, sneaked into the stunning Lebanese-born woman’s room and attempted to rape her at knifepoint before stabbing and strangling her.
Neither the Essex House nor the security company admit culpability as part of the $1.5 million settlement. The initial lawsuit accused the Essex
House of continuing to employ Praileau despite knowing of his violent propensities before Bejjani’s death. It also accused Essex House of allowing Praileau to obtain a maid’s key card to gain access to Bejjani’s room.
The security firm was accused of failing to provide adequate security.
Marc Rothenberg, a lawyer for George Bejjani, did not respond to requests for comment. And there appears to be no record of criminal charges ever being filed against George in regard to his father.
Surrogate’s Court Judge Kristin Booth Glen appointed George and a lawyer as co-administrators of Bejjani’s estate in 2010. But before she did, Glen admonished the siblings for squabbling with each another.
“I think it’s very sad,” Glen said in a 2010 hearing to the siblings’ lawyers. “Their sister died under tragic circumstances, and this all seems to be about who is going to control the money, like it always does here, and it’s unseemly and unpleasant.”
That same year, George Bejjani filed a lawsuit in the Bronx against Praileau, Jumeirah Essex House and Clark Investigations.
Rothenberg said in the petition this month that the settlement was the best-case scenario. He noted that if they had gone to trial and received a judgment against Praileau, they would have likely never been able to collect from him since he is behind bars.
Under the settlement, $950,000 would be paid on behalf of Clark Investigations and $550,000 on behalf of Jumeirah Essex House.
Lawyers for Clark Investigations and for Jumeirah Essex House did not respond to requests for comment.
In 2012 the firm Strategic Hotels & Resorts purchased the Jumeirah Essex House from Dubai’s royal family, which owned the property through an investment company. Marriott now operates the art deco building.
The settlement money — after legal fees — will be split among Bejjani’s siblings, according to the petition.