BY FREDA MIKLIN
STAFF WRITER
On July 28, decorator Hayley Louise Servatius and her company, HLS Designs LLC, responded to a lawsuit filed against her on June 20 by model Danielle Braverman and her husband, David Reis. The complaint described misuse of funds and poor work by Servatius on a home owned by Braverman and Reis as the cause of the claim. The $2.4 million home that is the subject of the dispute is located two-tenths of a mile away from the $2.4 million home where Servatius lives and works in the Greenwood Hills neighborhood of Greenwood Village.
Servatius’ response contains multiple denials of the allegations and several counterclaims. She denies, among many other things, that she misrepresented her previous experience and that she purchased items for the project using Braverman’s credit card without her permission. She also denies telling Braverman that her remodeled home was going to be featured in a magazine.
Both parties agree that on January 25, 2023, Servatius told Braverman and Reis she was ending their relationship. They disagree about whether both parties fulfilled their obligations under the contract leading up to its termination.
Along with other claims, Servatius maintains that if Braverman and Reis actually suffered any financial damages related to this project, it is because of their own actions or things that occurred over which Servatius had no control, and that, in fact, they owe her money for work she did for them for which she has not been paid.
In her counterclaim, Servatius asserts that “due to the property undergoing massive renovations, HLS Designs LLC was subject to numerous installation delays on account of delays in construction,” and that the delay lasted over six months.
Braverman and Reis, in their suit, alleged that some of the new items purchased for their home were in Servatius’ home, which they said was evidence of the designer taking their property. Servatius explains it differently, stating, “Due to delays in construction of the home, HLS Designs agreed to store various pieces of furniture, including nightstands, lighting, banquet chairs and a sofa, that could not be installed at the Project, at HLS Designs, without charging Plaintiffs any storage fees. Some of these items were stored at HLS Designs for over a year before they could be installed in the home.”
Servatius also lists 16 separate changes Braverman and Reis made to the scope of the project after the original contract was signed, including adding a swimming pool (plaintiffs noted that in their complaint, as well), as well as adding a pantry, closets, an island, a door, and two bathtubs, while removing a three-story brick fireplace.
Both parties believe they are owed an as yet uncalculable amount of money by the other and agree they want to have a jury trial to settle this dispute.
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We reported on the original suit on July 20, 2023.