Owners of Home Where Marilyn Monroe Died Sue City After They Were Allegedly Banned from Demolishing It

need to know

• The home where Marilyn Monroe died in 1962 will be named a historic cultural landmark in 2024 at the urging of preservationists

• Its owners said they received no notice of the change, which also blocked their plans to demolish the buildings, which they purchased in 2023 for $8.35 million

• The couple claim the house has undergone numerous renovations and seen 14 owners since Monroe’s death, and that they no longer have any meaningful connection with her

The owners of the Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died are suing the city and Mayor Karen Bass, claiming their private residence was “unconstitutionally taken,” according to a civil complaint obtained by People magazine.

Roy Bank and Brinah Milstein, who currently live at the property, filed the lawsuit against the city and Bass on Jan. 23 in California’s Central District Court, Western District. In the complaint, the owners claim Los Angeles expropriated their single-family Brentwood home “without any public purpose or merely compensation” through the use of the city’s “historic and cultural monuments” ordinance.

Bank and Milstein purchased the property in 2023 for $8.35 million, according to the complaint. According to court documents, the purchaser purchased the home with the “express intention of demolishing the dilapidated structures on the property.” They claim they spent an additional $30,000 to obtain the proper demolition and grading permits – which were originally approved by the city.

However, problems began for homeowners on September 8, 2023, when the city council approved a motion, allegedly “without any notice” to the owners, to consider designating the property as a historic monument. The motion then invalidated the couple’s legally issued license.

The lawsuit alleges that the City Council ultimately approved the designation on June 26, 2024, against the wishes of the homeowners.

Bank and Milstein claim the city should not have any interest in the property because it is so far removed from its association with the actress.

“Ms. Monroe’s brief tenure on the house left no trace, and the house was significantly modified by successive owners over more than sixty years,” the attorneys said in the complaint.

according to typethis Some people like it hot The star only lived in the 1929 Spanish Colonial house for six months.

She purchased the property in February 1962, shortly after she split from her husband, playwright Arthur Miller. However, the civil complaint alleges that Monroe only “occasionally occupied” the house while traveling between other residences in New York City and elsewhere.

The actress was found dead in the residence in August 1962 at the age of 36. The coroner’s toxicology report officially listed her cause of death as acute barbiturate intoxication because she reportedly ingested fatal amounts of pentobarbital (commonly used to treat anxiety disorders) and a sedative called chloral hydrate. Her death was ruled a drug overdose and “possible suicide.”

In the years since, the property has gone through 14 different owners, undergone numerous remodels and received more than two dozen building permits from the city — all without regard to the historic designation, the current owner said.

The designation resulted in “the property being transformed into a tourist attraction,” the complaint said, citing traffic congestion on the cul-de-sac and trespassers jumping over the property’s fence. The lawsuit specifically mentions an incident on Nov. 7, 2025, in which “burglars scaled a wall” and broke into the home, allegedly looking for “souvenirs or other items.”

Bank and Milstein are suing the city and Bass, alleging a violation of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment and a violation of the Just Compensation Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

The couple is asking the court to order the city to reinstate their demolition and grading permits or compensate them for their 2023 investment in the property.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to get the latest from PEOPLE, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Lawyers for Bank and Milstein did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Los Angeles City Attorney and the Bass Mayor’s office for comment.

Read the original article on People