Lenny Hochstein is denying he ever harassed his estranged wife Lisa as she moved out of their marital home, and he claimed the Real Housewives of Miami star “virtually empt[ied]” the mansion.
According to the reports, Lenny sued a plant company Lisa used on the move-out day, though the company claims one of their workers called the cops on Lenny, who verbally berated them and blocked their vehicle.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Lenny addressed Lisa’s relocation.
“Lisa and I had a prenuptial agreement and I chose instead of enforcing it to give her a much better deal. That meant much more money and much more child support and I would buy a home for her to live with the children until they became adults. And I would have thought that kind of agreement would have been met with gratitude,” said the 57-year-old. “But it wasn’t. Lisa continues to go after me and accuse me of things that are simply not true.”
He went on to say, “I didn’t harass her. I told her she can’t do this. I was aware she was moving but not clearing out my house.”
Lenny also claimed that he called the cops after returning home on August 31, and he alleged that almost “everything was gone.”
According to Lenny, he originally agreed that Lisa could take “one bedroom of her choosing” as well as certain sculptures and paintings. “About three days before the move she told me she was going to take much more than I would agree. And in that case there was a disagreement and we would go to court or mediation … Lisa completely ignored that and not only did she take much more than I had agreed to, she essentially cleared out my house.”
The surgeon added, “I was aware she was moving but not clearing out my house. I had to go buy pillows and linens because she took everything. I was left with a mattress. She took the towels. I was left with a fork and knife.”
He then addressed their alleged legal agreement. “I agreed to pay up to $17,000 a month to get her a rental and she agreed that she would need two months to move out and find a new place by [the first of September],” said Lenny. “After we signed this agreement she made no efforts to find a place and also breached multiple parts of this agreement.”
Lenny added, “We got the idea she wasn’t planning on abiding by anything and we asked the court to rescind the deal. But she was told if she did move out when she said she would, then we would allow the agreement to stay in place.”
Per Radar Online, Lenny pleaded with the court for an emergency hearing, filing a motion for contempt and enforcement while demanding that Lisa be sanctioned because of her actions.
In the motion, Lenny alleged that his wife failed to behave reasonably amid the relocation, and thus breached the settlement agreement.
According to Lenny, much of the personal belongings and property that Lisa took “are special and unique to” the home, and she failed to discuss which items she had planned on bringing to the new place.
“Wife absolutely shocked Husband and his undersigned counsel by virtually emptying the 16,000 square-foot home of the desirable furniture and houseware and personal property and moving the furniture into her new 6,000 sq. ft. luxury apartment, or perhaps to a storage unit to deprive Husband of his property,” said his motion.
He claimed Lisa did not take action for months, but in the final hour before her September 1 deadline, she said she’d move out and begin dwelling in the apartment. The self-described ‘boob god’ also alleged he told Lisa he objected to certain items being taken, including some artwork, furniture, and household items that she expressed interest in. He said Lisa had stated that her attorney informed her she could bring any items she wished, and any disputes could be taken care of later.
“Wife not only removed furnishings such as beds, dressers, tables, and chairs, but also removed everyday household items including kitchenware, cookware, and utensils and even pillows, blankets and bedsheets and duvets and comforters, along with pictures, picture frames and even trash cans,” said the filing.
He indicated he was forced to buy an entire new set of clothes for his children as well as new kitchen supplies — including pots and pans — in order to cook meals for the kids, while “noting that Wife does not cook for Minor Children and has relied upon dining out and food delivery as a means of providing nourishment and meals for Minor Children.”
He claimed his wife “brazenly, reprehensibly, and shockingly removed virtually all” of the belongings in the house, and it was left as an “almost empty state devoid of desirous and custom furnishings and artwork.”
According to his estimations, the value of that property is around $200,000, and Lisa removed it to “demean and humiliate” him and be “malicious and vengeful.”
Lenny is seeking to reclaim the items, and he wants his ex to be found in contempt.
As for Lisa, she issued a response statement to Us Weekly via her attorney.
“I didn’t want to get into details of the MSA [Master Service Agreement] but since Lenny opened this can of worms, it states that he would keep the majority or marital property, leaving me with the minority which could even be 49 percent,” said Lisa. “I wanted to come nowhere near that to avoid more legal fees … It states that if we disagree on this majority, we’ll mediate which I’m happy to do.”
She then explained, “Lenny valued his net worth publicly recently at near $70 million dollars … I was surprised to find out he’d even be upset at me taking one of the three dining rooms tables or three of his nine bedroom sets so the children and I could transition a little easier. But regardless, the MSA already states I can take items as long as I don’t take the majority and I’d estimate I took about 10 percent of the household marital items.”
The star continued, “The police already came and told him they didn’t understand his claim of being cleaned out.”
