Billionaire Sues Over Broken Deal to Buy Upper East Side Wildenstein Mansion

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A deal to buy an Upper East Side mansion has turned into a case of billionaire vs. millionaire.

Billionaire investor Len Blavatnik is suing the young heir of the Wildenstein art empire, David, because a $79 million deal to buy the family's East 64th Street mansion fell through, the New York Post reported. Blavatnik and Wildenstein supposedly shook on the deal, but it fell apart when Wildenstein attempted to use the offer to leverage a better deal, according to a lawsuit.

A lawsuit filed by Blavatnik demands the Wildenstein's either go through with the sale or award Blavatnik $10 million, according to the Post report. The Ukrainian-American billionaire had hopes of converting the mansion into offices, according to the report.

In August the Wildenstein's listed the mansion with real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield for $100 million.

The building's listing boasts luxury features such as a limestone-clad exterior, 20-foot ceilings and a paneled elevator that reaches every floor. The mansion is also in the vicinity of a number of luxury retail stores such as Chanel, Goyard, Alexander McQueen, Loro Piana, Givenchy, Hermes and Graff, according to the listing.

The deal between Blavatnik and the Wildenstein's isn't the first to fall through, either.

The family had agreed to sell the mansion to Qatar in 2014 for $90 million, Bloomberg reported. But the deal fell through when Qatar — which was planning to establish a consulate in the building — backed out due to concerns over Wildenstein money laundering allegations, according the the report. The Wildenstein family later sued the country and settled out of court.

Photo: Google Maps street view May 2016