Hamptons landlord fires back at riled tenant

A war of words has broken out between tenant and landlord at a $14 million Southampton summer rental, according to the New York Daily News. After Keith Rubenstein, head of private equity firm Somerset Partners, filed a suit claiming his six-week, $195,000 summer rental home was a “potential death trap” and had numerous aesthetic deficiencies, the home’s owner, a company called Mid-Summer Dream, filed a countersuit calling the claims bogus. While Rubenstein’s claim sought a payout of $68,250 and the return of his $19,500 security deposit, Mid-Summer is seeking far more in damages. The company, which is asking for $225,000 in damages, claims that Rubenstein “flooded the premises with guests servants and other staff beyond its capacity,” and that the real estate bigwig’s words have had an unfair negative impact on the property. [NYT]