Durst is sued over wife death
The estate of Robert Durst’s first wife has sued him for her wrongful death — and alleges other members of the Durst family conspired to cover up her killing.
Only Robert Durst is a defendant in the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit.
But the papers filed by Kathie Durst’s estate say Robert’s late father, legendary developer Seymour Durst, worked with others in his company and the Durst family to hide Kathie’s death.
Kathie Durst went missing Jan. 31, 1982 at age 29. The suit says she “was murdered by her husband Durst, who had repeatedly abused her for years.”
Robert Durst “admitted to physically, emotionally and financially abusing” Kathie, the suit says.
Without naming additional Durst family members as defendants, the civil complaint directly implicates several of them, including Douglas, who currently runs the company, them as participants.
It alleges Seymour helped Douglas come up with a coverup, and that Seymour and “others in the Durst orbit” leaked to police false information that Kathie had a $1,000-aweek drug habit, and gave the media disparaging information about her in “clandestine” talks.
The suit accuses members of Robert Durst’s family of “active participation in creating and executing Durst’s false narrative,” which the suit says supports “the complicity of the Durst family in this crime.”
The estate’s lawsuit comes nearly two years after a surrogate court judge officially declared Kathie Durst dead.
A rep for the Durst family blasted the allegations in a statement Friday.
“The accusations are fiction, and this is a lawyer’s attempt to make a buck,” said the spokesman Jordan Barowitz.