Morpurgo House Ownership Claim Is Thrown Out In Court

The prospective owners of the Morpurgo House, the crumbling building at 6 Union Street in Sag Harbor with a long, troubled history, could be cleared to close on a purchase now that an ownership claim has been thrown out in court.

Charlotte Lisi, 72, of Dix Hills formally claimed a stake in the property by filing a lis pendens on July 18, just one day before the buyers who won the house at auction were expecting to close the deal. This week, on Wednesday, August 24, Ms. Lisi’s claim was thrown out, according to a law clerk in the office of Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice James C. Hudson.

The prospective buyers hope they can move forward with plans they announced at the foreclosure auction in June. But they may have to wait out a 30-day period in which Ms. Lisi could appeal the judge’s decision, according to Mark Egerman, a Beverly Hills-based attorney who is one of the prospective owners. He said he and his partners are working with their lawyers to determine their next step.

“We want to move forward as quickly as possible,” Mr. Egerman said.

The Sag Harbor Village Board made it clear at a meeting earlier this month that it still wants to see the home demolished, as the structure poses a safety hazard. The owner of record is Captain Hulbert House LLC, and mortgage holder is Atlantic View Holdings LLC, both of which were named as defendents, among others, in Ms. Lisi’s claim.

“Our goal is to work with the village and restore what we can of the structure, if at all,” said Christian Lipp, a real estate sales agent at Compass who has been working with the prospective owners on the $1.325 million sale of the property. Mr. Lipp added that the plan, once the home is secured, is to maintain the architectural integrity of the house.

After learning that the claim was thrown out this week, Ms. Lisi said the situation was unfair and reiterated that she feels that she was scammed out of $100,000 she invested in the property.

Ms. Lisi is the mother of Brandon Lisi, an attorney who pleaded guilty in 2011 to two counts of first-degree grand larceny and one charge of second-degree grand larceny, both felonies, for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme that targeted homes on the East End and that also involved former Suffolk County Legislator George O. Guldi. The Morpurgo House is one of the homes tied to the case.