On the fateful day of August 4, 2025, New York-based fashion designer Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra met with investor Christopher Durnan aboard his luxury yacht, Ripple, completely unaware of the tragedy about to unfold.

The duo reportedly met to discuss her swimwear brand, East x East, in which Durnan was an investor. The yacht was docked at the Montauk Yacht Club, identified in court filings as the Star Island Yacht Club, in the Hamptons.

Around midnight, the meeting took an unexpected and twisted turn. Durnan ran down the dock naked, screaming for help and claiming that Nolan-O’Slatarra had passed out. He claimed he stripped because Nolan-O’Slatarra vomited on him. However, investigators later found no sign of vomit on his clothing or signs of vomit at the scene or during the autopsy.

Nolan-O’Slatarra was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.

In their initial statement, Suffolk County Police said, “East Hampton Town Police responded to a 911 call from a man reporting a woman unconscious on a boat docked at the Montauk Yacht Club, on Star Island Road, at approximately 12 a.m. Good Samaritans attempted to perform CPR on the woman. Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, 33, of Manhattan, was pronounced dead on the boat by First Responders.”

Authorities initially suspected Nolan-O’Slatarra died from an accidental drug overdose and said at the time that an autopsy “did not show evidence of violence, and her final cause of death is pending further examination.” 

Nearly one year after her death, Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family filed a three-page preliminary court document in New York accusing Durnan of causing her death through assault and gross negligence. According to the Daily Mail, the filing states that the family is seeking “to recover damages for the personal injuries and conscious pain and suffering sustained by Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra prior to her death.”

According to new claims, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) found blood on Nolan-O’Slatarra’s mouth, head, chest, and possibly behind her head. Law enforcement told the family that someone had cleaned the crime scene before emergency responders arrived, which made the EMT findings even more alarming to her family.

The family’s attorney, Michael Bowe, revealed to the Daily Mail that they are preparing a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Durnan in the New York Supreme Court. He argues that the physical evidence points to murder rather than an accidental overdose. Even the family’s medical examiner concluded that the level of drugs or alcohol in her system was not enough to kill a healthy person of her age.

It is pertinent to mention here that this is a civil complaint and not a criminal case. So far, authorities have not filed any criminal charges against Durnan in connection with Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death.

According to Bowe, Durnan reportedly refused to speak with police investigators after that initial night. While Durnan publicly claimed he was in contact with the family, Bowe says he never responded to their repeated calls and texts.

This is not the first time Durnan, 60, is facing a lawsuit related to assault. In 2022, retired firefighter Michael Balfe sued Durnan, alleging Durnan brutally bit and assaulted him at a New York concert on September 11, 2021. Police arrested Durnan on misdemeanor assault and drug possession charges, but he ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and received a one-year conditional discharge. The lawsuit was settled out of court in December 2023.

Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.