Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family files US$50m wrongful death summons over Hamptons yacht death

THE FAMILY of Carlow fashion designer Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra has formally launched legal action against the owner of the boat on which she was found dead in Montauk, New York, a year on from her death, according to papers filed with the Supreme Court of the State of New York and seen by The Nationalist.

The summons was filed on Tuesday 4 August 2026, as first reported by US news outlet Patch, and signed by attorneys from Brithem LLP, names Elma Geraldine Nolan - Ms Nolan-O’Slatarra’s mother - and Marcello de Peralta as temporary administrators of Ms Nolan O'Slatarra’s estate. It names Christopher Durnan, of Garden City, New York, as defendant.

The document sets out two causes of action. The first seeks damages for the wrongful death of Ms Nolan O’Slatarra brought on behalf of her estate’s distributees. The second seeks damages for the “personal injuries and conscious pain and suffering” she is alleged to have sustained before her death.

Both claims arise, the summons states, from the “wrongful conduct” of Mr Durnan “on or about August 4 and 5, 2025,” aboard a vessel at the Star Island Yacht Club, 32 Star Island Road, Montauk. The filing alleges two grounds: that Mr Durnan “intentionally and wrongfully assaulted” Ms Nolan-O’Slatarra, and that he engaged in “gross negligence and reckless and wanton conduct” toward her, either or both of which the family's lawyers say caused her injury and death.

Speaking to Patch on Wednesday 5 August, Michael Bowe, an attorney for Brithem LLP, said an independent autopsy conducted by the family’s expert medical examiner “does not agree Martha was killed by intoxicants, given her youth and health” and “the evidence we have uncovered includes that EMTs found blood” on her body at the scene.

The relief sought includes damages for the financial loss suffered by her distributees as a result of her death, damages for her pain, suffering and personal injuries prior to death, and punitive damages, along with interest, legal fees, costs and disbursements. The summons states that should Mr Durnan fail to appear in the action, the family will seek default judgment for US$50 million plus interest, fees, costs and disbursements, or a sum to be determined at a later inquest.

The filing states that the temporary administrators were appointed by an order of the New York County Surrogate’s Court on 30 July 2026, and that the case is accordingly being brought in New York County.

As of the filing, the case had not yet been reviewed by the county clerk, with the document itself cautioning it “may not have been accepted for filing” at that stage.

Robert Holdman, an attorney representing Mr Durnan, told Patch this week that he had no comment and had not yet seen the filing. Mr Durnan could not be reached for comment.

Mr Bowe said filing was the first step in the legal process. “We will serve the summons, then a complaint and then take discovery to secure all the relevant evidence before presenting it in court,” he said, noting that the civil case would be judged on the “preponderance of the evidence” rather than the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt.

Neither Suffolk County police nor the county’s district attorney, Ray Tierney, have reported that Mr Durnan was arrested or charged with any crime in connection with Ms Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death. Suffolk police told Patch this week: “There have been no assault charges connected to her death.”

Ms Nolan-O’Slatarra, a fashion and swimwear designer originally from the Monacurragh area of Carlow town, was found unresponsive on a boat at the Montauk Yacht Club on 5 August 2025. She had attended Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal and later St Leo’s College in Carlow before earning a commerce degree and a master’s in digital marketing at UCD.

She left Ireland nine years before her death to build a career in the United States, founding the brand East x East and working as director of operations at investment firm K4 Capital. A funeral service was held for her in Carlow following her death.