Chilling Witness Testimonies Surface From Those Living Near the Scene of Fashion Designer Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra’s Mysterious D3:ath
THE mysterious death of a fashion designer aboard a luxury Hamptons yacht has taken a dramatic twist after her family accused the boat’s owner of killing her in a bombshell $50million legal filing.
The claims come as neighbors reportedly told investigators they heard screams coming from the deck before the 33-year-old was found dead.
Family of Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra filed a $50million wrongful death lawsuitCredit: Instagram/@martha_nolan
The lawsuit alleges yacht owner Christopher Durnan (pictured) assaulted and was negligent in her deathCredit: Instagram
Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, a New York-based designer originally from Ireland, was found dead aboard the yacht Ripple after meeting owner Christopher Durnan on the night of August 4, 2025.
According to a summons filed in New York Supreme Court on Tuesday – exactly one year after her family learned of her death – Nolan-O’Slatarra’s loved ones plan to sue Durnan for wrongful death, alleging he caused her death through assault and negligence.
The filing claims Durnan, a father-of-two who reportedly invested more than $200,000 in Nolan-O’Slatarra’s luxury swimwear label, “intentionally and wrongfully assaulted” the designer, although it does not detail the specific allegations.
According to the New York Post, it also accuses him of gross negligence, recklessness and wanton conduct that allegedly caused her death, either individually or in combination.
Bombshell ’cause of death’ of designer, 33, found dead on tycoon’s boat
The family is seeking damages for the “personal injuries and conscious pain and suffering sustained by Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra prior to her death”, along with punitive damages and compensation for her relatives.
The fatal meeting had been arranged aboard Durnan’s yacht, moored at the exclusive Montauk Yacht Club in the Hamptons, where the pair were due to discuss her swimwear business.
Instead, the evening ended in horror when Durnan allegedly ran naked down the dock shortly before midnight screaming for help and telling people his blonde, blue-eyed guest had passed out.
According to the New York Post, nearby boaters and captains said they heard screams coming from the dock around the time the tragedy unfolded.
One witness reportedly recalled hearing shouting as Nolan-O’Slatarra’s body was discovered, the Daily Mail reported.
The owner of the yacht was also reportedly heard yelling, “That’s my girlfriend,” as he desperately pleaded for help.
Bystanders rushed aboard the 50-foot cabin cruiser in an attempt to save Nolan-O’Slatarra, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbors reportedly heard screams from the yacht Ripple before the designer’s body was discoveredCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Nolan-O’Slatarra moved to the US from Ireland around a decade before her deathCredit: Social Media Collect
The Montauk Yacht Club, where Ripple was dockedCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
The 33-year-old was the name behind luxury swimwear brand East x EastCredit: TikTok /@martha_nolan
Her death has remained shrouded in mystery ever since.
The family’s latest legal move comes as they continue pressing Suffolk County Police for answers.
“We are in the same place where we were this time 12 months ago,” a source close to the family told the Irish Independent.
“We knew, and were being told, very little then – and we know even less now.”
Detectives have only said an initial post-mortem examination “did not show evidence of violence and her final cause of death is pending further investigation.”
In the months after her death, speculation swirled that Nolan-O’Slatarra had died from a drug overdose after photographs from the yacht appeared to show white powder scattered across a seat.
But sources close to the family told the New York Post that an independent autopsy they commissioned allegedly found only “trace amounts of cocaine” in her system.
Instead, they claimed the examination indicated that some form of assault directly led to her death.
Durnan has strongly denied any responsibility.
His attorney, Robert Holdman, previously claimed Nolan-O’Slatarra suddenly went limp between 10.30pm and 11pm and that Durnan feared she was suffering a heart attack.
Holdman said his client desperately attempted CPR.
“She was gone almost immediately,” Holdman told New York Magazine last year. “She was non-responsive.”
The lawyer also claimed Durnan stripped off his clothes before running for help because they had been “soaked” with Nolan-O’Slatarra’s vomit.
Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra had moved to the US around a decade before her death and built a glamorous life in New York.
In a 2024 interview with The Irish Independent, she said she “loved” living on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Her social media showed her sipping champagne, flying by provate jet to Nashville for concerts and enjoying helicopter rides with her boyfriend, sales executive Nicholas DiRubio.
HomeGoods rival shutting forever despite being spared from bankruptcy closures
She founded several businesses, including accessories brand Duper and luxury swimwear company East x East.
Nolan-O’Slatarra had also married and later divorced Sam Ryan, with the uncontested split being finalized just months before her death.
SOURCE: THE SUN
https://www.the-sun.com/news/16795422/fashion-designer-death-martha-nolan-lawsuit-boat-owner-hamptons/
