Fickle Toni Collette being sued over property change of heart in Paddington
Academy Award-nominated actor Toni Collette, the star of the TV series United States of Tara, and her musician husband, David Galafassi, are being sued over their failure to settle on an alleged $6 million Paddington terrace purchase (pictured above).
The initial directions hearing into the matter is scheduled for the NSW Supreme Court next Tuesday.
Date | Jurisdiction | Court | Presiding Officer | Court Room | Case |
21 Mar | Directions (Equity Registrar) | Civil | Supreme | Supreme Court Sydney | Susan Kelly v David Anthony Galafassi (Toni Galafassi) |
21 Mar | Directions (Equity Registrar) | Civil | Supreme | Supreme Court Sydney | Susan Kelly v David Anthony Galafassi (David Anthony Galafassi) |
Last October the couple reputedly signed a contract to buy a double-fronted Paddington terrace from Susie Kelly, the co-founder and owner of Industrie clothing with her husband, Nick.
The Stewart Street house was snapped at an undisclosed price – but understood to be slightly more than $6 million quite early in its October marketing campaign by McGrath agent Ben Collier.
Designed by architectAnthony Gill and completed in 2009, the five-bedroom, four-bathroom house on a 360-square-metre block sold for a record for the southern side of Oxford Street, Paddington.
Consisting of two classic Victorian terraces combined into a palatial single residence, the contemporary tri-level family retreat had been reinvented after the merger of two terraces costing $2.15 million in 2003 and $1.865 million in 2005.
The entertainment industry couple's plans went awry after they struggled to find a buyer of their Bronte house.
Their 1885 Bronte weatherboard cottage that cost $4.4 million in mid-2009 had been tipped to sell for around $3.5 million through its McGrath Estate Agents listing agent Bethwyn Richards, but still struggled to find a buyer.
Collette and Galafassi are accused of changing their minds on the Paddington purchase when they instead bought back at Bronte reputedly from the buyer of their own house.
The Kellys bought on Kutti Beach at Vaucluse last March for $15.5 million.
Property lawyers said the Supreme Court could find the contract binding and the entertainment industry couple could be forced to pay any shortfall if the Paddington terrace resold at less than its last sale price.
