On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death, her family is preparing to take the mystery surrounding a Montauk yacht to civil court. Relatives of the 33-year-old fashion designer say they plan to seek $50 million from the boat’s owner, accusing him of causing her death through assault and negligence.
The planned Manhattan lawsuit is expected to name insurance executive Christopher Durnan, owner of the yacht Ripple, according to The New York Post. The family’s allegations include intentional and wrongful assault, gross negligence, and reckless and wanton conduct, either separately or in combination, as the cause of Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death.
That legal theory sharply challenges the initial public account. The Suffolk County Police Department said Nolan-O’Slatarra was found unconscious aboard a boat at the Montauk Yacht Club shortly after midnight on Aug. 5, 2025, and that an autopsy did not show evidence of violence while the final cause of death remained pending.
Why The Family Is Challenging The Original Account
Sources close to the family now say an independent autopsy found only trace amounts of cocaine in Nolan-O’Slatarra’s system and concluded that some form of assault contributed to her death, according to the Post’s report. The family also says Suffolk County police denied multiple Freedom of Information Law requests for the official autopsy and related investigative records.
Nolan-O’Slatarra, an Ireland native who lived in Manhattan and co-founded the East x East swimwear company, had reportedly gone to the yacht club for a business meeting. She was found aboard Ripple after friends and her boyfriend became concerned when she stopped answering messages, while NBC New York reported that bystanders tried to perform CPR before first responders pronounced her dead.
The yacht death had already drawn attention in Montauk, where Hoodline’s earlier report detailed the initial investigation and Nolan-O’Slatarra’s ties to the local summer fashion scene. The case remained unresolved as reports surfaced about Durnan’s role in the meeting and the events aboard the boat.
Durnan’s attorney previously described the meeting as business-related and said Durnan told New York Magazine that Nolan-O’Slatarra suddenly went limp and that he tried to revive her, Us Weekly reported. Durnan has not been publicly charged in connection with Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death.
What The Planned Lawsuit Would Put Before A Judge
If the complaint is filed Wednesday as planned, it would give Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family a new venue to pursue answers and damages while the criminal investigation remains open. A civil complaint would present the family’s allegations, not establish that Durnan is legally responsible; he would have the opportunity to contest them in court.
The Suffolk County Homicide Squad has not publicly announced a resolution in the case. For Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family, the lawsuit represents an attempt to force fresh scrutiny of what happened during the final hours of a young designer’s life on a boat docked in Montauk.
