Joel Silver’s ex-wife sues to sell former family mansion

Here’s a plot twist that Joel Silver, producer of The Matrix and Lethal Weapon film franchises, may not have seen coming.

His ex-wife Karyn Silver has filed a lawsuit seeking the sale of their former family home, a $52 million Brentwood mansion, in part to cover child support costs for a minor child, her alimony, as well as debts, according to a complaint filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on April 17. 

Karyn Silver first filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2022. The couple divorced in 2020.

The complaint alleges that the film producer did not place child support and alimony payments into his ex-wife’s bank account, and $700,000 was seized, which forced her to file for bankruptcy.

The couple’s marriage settlement agreement said that the ex-wife had the right to sell the mansion, located at 470 Layton Way, if the film producer defaulted on the agreement. “However, defendant has thwarted all effort to show the property as he does not want to sell the Layton property all the while failing to pay the mortgages on the property,”  the complaint alleges.

The complaint states that a $52 million sale would cover debts from unpaid mortgage payments to Bank of America, which holds two deeds of trust against the mansion in the sum of $34 million. Also, a sale would take care of a $6.8 million lien by the Internal Revenue Service against the house. The complaint estimates there will be $8 million left over to cover alimony and child support costs.

The complaint also requests the sale of a mural created by Alfred Ramon Martinez, which was valued at $3 million.

The estate at 470 Layton has been on and off the market for the past few years. In November 2021, the mansion was listed for $75 million. On August 30, 2022, the home was relisted for $49 million. The next day it was relisted for $52 million.

A property description of 470 Layton Way notes that it is located on 4.5 acres and designed by Ricardo Legorreta. Amenities include a library, a fitness center, a sauna and a cinema. 

A call and an email to Joel Silver’s lawyer were not returned.