Opening statements are expected to begin on Friday in the trial of property tycoon Mohamed Hadid, whose illegally-built Los Angeles mega-mansion has been at the center of a six-year bitter neighbor dispute.
The father of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid was sued in a civil lawsuit brought by neighbors who claim the 'monster' home he built on a hillside overlooking their homes in upscale Bel Air, turned their lives into a 'nightmare', and put residents and their houses in danger, and are now seeking millions in damages.
The massive mansion - which is twice the size permitted under local zoning laws - still stands unfinished despite an order for it to be torn down almost two years ago by a judge who dubbed it a 'clear and present danger' to the surrounding community.
And now, lawyers of Hadid's neighbors have a filed court motion calling on the City of LA to demolish it immediately.
Mohamed Hadid was less than thrilled to talk outside a Santa Monica courthouse Thursday as he showed up for the final day of jury selection for his trial which could last four to five weeks
Opening statements are expected to begin on Friday when lawyers for Hadid's neighbors will claim how the monster property turned their lives into a 'nightmare', and put residents and their houses in danger
A judge ordered Hadid's mega-mansion to be torn down out of safety concerns, saying it was a nuisance and a danger to the public but it is yet to be demolished
Hadid's lawyers are expected respond in a counter argument claiming one of the suing neighbors, Joe Horacek, has a personal vendetta against the developer and allegedly tried to extort $3.5million from Hadid in exchange for dropping his complaints to the city.
The 72-year-old real estate mogul appeared less than thrilled to talk outside court on Thursday when he showed up for the final day of jury selection for the trial which could last four to five weeks.
He barked 'get lost' when approached by DailyMail.com for comment outside the Santa Monica courthouse.
He wore a blue mask, a dark double-breasted designer suit, with a black tie and dress shoes.
The illegally-built 'monstrosity' should have been torn down by now thanks to a demolition order made almost two years ago by a judge who declared the half-built house to be a 'clear and present danger' to the community around it.
Hadid, however, claims he doesn't have the $5million to cover the estimated cost of the demolition and a buyer who had offered $9million to purchase the property - and knock it down - recently backed out of the deal.
Hadid, pictured on Thursday, claims he doesn't have $5million to cover the estimated cost of the demolition and says a buyer who had offered $9million to purchase the property - and knock it down - recently backed out of the deal
Neighbors have been fighting for years for the demolition of the property because of all the alleged unapproved construction. The development of the home has also been an eyesore to nearby residents and now a danger due to heavy Los Angeles rain
Attorney Gary Lincenberg pointed out that according to expert opinion, piles supporting the house - which were not sunk deep enough into the hillside to comply with local building codes - 'will fail in the event of a 24-year earthquake or a 10-20-year rain event'
That has left the City of Los Angeles holding the bag - and facing a court motion demanding that the City should bring in the wrecking ball and tear the huge structure to the ground now - because of the threat it poses to the nearby homes it teeters above.
After Hadid, 72, claimed to be strapped for cash and (unsuccessfully) trying to declare bankruptcy, Judge Karlan ordered the house - which stands on a 53,000 square foot lot - to be sold.
LA developer Bruce Lifton offered $9 million for it, including the cost of demolition.
But before the deal could be sealed, LA City's Department of Building and Safety, revealed for the first time only last month that in addition to tearing down the building, the retaining walls that held back hundreds of tons of earth supporting the house, would also have to be removed, adding $1.5million to the cost of demo.
Lifton said no, sending an email to Douglas Wilson - the receiver Judge Karlan appointed to oversee the demo - saying, 'Everyone put your pencils down. The deal is dead,' according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com.
Hadid has claimed he doesn't have $5million to pay for the demolition and a buyer who offered $9 million to purchase the property and knock it down backed out
Now, Wilson is putting the house and land up for auction in an effort to find another buyer to pay the demolition cost.
And with would-be auction buyers being offered 70 days to submit a bid, then an escrow process added, that means demo won't be able to start for several more months.
The loss of Lifton - the only serious buyer to show interest in the slowly deteriorating building site - prompted an angry reaction from long-suffering neighbors who blasted LA City for screwing up the $9 million deal that could have rid them of the house - dubbed the Starship Enterprise for its size - looming over them once and for all.
Their lead lawyer in the lawsuit, Gary Lincenberg, filed a motion last week 'requiring the City to demolish the structure at 901 Strada Vecchia (the address of Hadid's mega-mansion)….'
'The City's conduct has created a situation in which there are no funds available to the receiver to demolish the structure that
