Billionaire Tells Staff to Burn Down Neighboring Mansion in Beachfront Property Dispute

Billionaire Tells Staff to Burn Down Neighboring Mansion in Beachfront Property Dispute

Sad but true: the rich and famous seem to think they have an invincibility around them and that they are able to do whatever they want. These types of ‘crazy celebrity’ stories have become all too common:

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Louis Bacon, 61, initiated the blaze that devastated Canadian clothing magnate Peter Nygard’s home on the island of Lyford Cay in 2009 after he refused to sell him the property, court papers allege.

In a fit of anger, the founder of New York-based Moore Capital Management reportedly ordered an employee to ‘find a way to burn Mr Nygard’s f***ing house down’

It is the latest accusation in the spat between Mr Bacon and Mr Nygard, who is the founder and chairman of women’s fashion house Nygard International, based in Winnipeg.

According to the court papers, filed in Los Angeles, a representative for Mr Bacon told one of Mr Nygard’s employees, ‘See what I told you’, just two weeks after the blaze in November 2009.

However, fire authorities say the incident was ‘accidental’, while 68-year-old Mr Nygard admits in the papers that the cause of the fire is ‘unknown’.

The eccentric Mr Nygard, who has seven children by four women, built his impressive 150,000-square-foot beachfront mansion, dubbed ‘Nygard Cay’, in 1987.

It is inspired by the Mayan civilization’s architecture, with one of its major buildings being a 32,000-square-foot grand hall with a 100,000lb glass ceiling.

Before the blaze, it had been featured on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ and ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’, with visitors including former U.S. President George Bush and actor Robert De Niro.

In recent years, Mr Bacon has been fighting Mr Nygard’s attempts to expand the property, claiming he has been illegally and surreptitiously adding to the size of his compound.

He has previously accused Mr Nygard of creating an environmental disaster by enlarging his estate in the exclusive community at the western tip of New Providence island with illegal sand dumps.

He then blared ‘ear piercing noises’ toward Mr Nygard with the sole aim of embarrassing him in front of his guests, the papers allege.

‘There, that’s a message from Mr. Bacon. Don’t f*** with Louis,’ one of the Mr Bacon’s assistants allegedly shouted after blaring the noise.

The lawsuit, which cites a conversation between the tycoons, has finally hit the U.S. after going through the Bahamian courts.

In New York court papers, filed yesterday, Mr Bacon alleges that videos taken by Mr Nygard’s former employee, Stephen Feralio, will prove he was behind a smear campaign.

But in his Los Angeles legal move, Mr Nygard is aiming to keep the 1,000-plus hours of alleged footage away from his neighbor.

Earlier this year, more than 100 people, including actor Sean Connery and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady, filed a legal complaint against the Bahamian government over efforts by Mr Nygard to redevelop his compound.

Those who filed the complaint accuse the government of withholding public records related to work on Mr Nygard’s compound.

They also say the fashion mogul previously caused significant environmental damage during continuing renovations that they say occurred without the required permits.

In addition to redeveloping his compound, Mr Nygard is seeking to develop and gain access to land surrounding his property, prompting an outcry from other residents.

Just give me a break and quit acting like a self-entitled brat. Seriously. You order staff to burn down a neighbors home when he won’t sell it to you and then it ‘mysteriously’ burns down? Something is rotten in Denmark.

McGuire

Writer, Blogger. Political aficionado. Addicted to all levels of government campaigns.

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