Taya Thurman: Uma Thurman's half-sister traps mom, 88, at home, cuts off phone lines
A lawsuit has been filed against Taya Thurman, the half-sister of actress Uma Thurman, for allegedly keeping her elderly mother trapped inside home. Taya Thurman's mother happens to be the prominent socialite, oil heiress and jewelry designer Christophe de Menil, who is 88-year-old at present. Thurman was reportedly estranged from her mother for over three decades. The mother and daughter reunited recently and Taya Thurman was appointed power of attorney following the reconciliation.
The lawsuit has been filed by de Menil's friend Alina Morini, who alleged that Thurman has kept her mother trapped within the confines of her home on East 81st Street. The suit also alleges that Thurman bars de Menil from having any visitors or leaving her home at any time. Morini further claims that Taya evicted her from de Menil's townhouse despite the fact that she had lived there for the past six years. The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday, October 6, 2021. Meanwhile, Taya Thurman's attorney Sheila Tendy rubbished the shocking allegations, calling them "absolutely false."
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Taya Thurman's mother Christophe de Menil, a well-known socialite was briefly married to Uma Thurman's father Robert Thurman between 1959 and 1961. Taya is the daughter of Christophe and Robert, who was born in 1960. She got married to Christopher Snow in 1981 and shared three kids with him.
Taya and Christopher divorced later. Their son Dash Snow, a prominent artist in New York, died from overdose in 2009 at the age of 28 years. She has another son, Max Snow, and daughter Caroline Snow.
Alina Morini, who claims to be Christophe de Menil's "dear friend, confidant and moral supporter of 15 years”, decided to sue Taya Thurman to prevent her from allegedly taking advantage of her mother. Morini also wants to thwart Taya's "well-orchestrated scheme" of causing a rift in the friendship between her and de Menil. In fact, to substantiate her claims, she included a written statement by de Menil in the lawsuit, which said, "She lived with me for 5-6 years… Nobody influences me in this statement." Morini seeks $5 million in damages through her lawsuit against Thurman.
The suit further adds the statement of Nico Iliev, another of Christophe de Menil's friend who once wrote to the Manhattan DA office about her confinement. Illiev accuses Thurman of forcing de Menil to rewrite her will in April 2020. Soon afterward, her long-time staff at the house were dismissed and the locks were also altered. Thurman also installed surveillance cameras inside the house and disconnected de Menil's phone lines. “Currently, no one is allowed to visit Christophe (as we all call her) nor is she allowed to step outside of the house," Illiev stated in an email, further adding, "De Menil was confined to her bedroom where she never received guests. During the quick visit, which was monitored by the home aide, she shared that she feels like she is ‘in jail'."
While Taya Thurman herself has not issued any statement about the allegations, her attorney told New York Post, "These reprehensible allegations are absolutely false. Alina Morini was arrested for conning her way into Christophe de Menil’s apartment. We believe this frivolous lawsuit is a ploy intended to influence other legal proceedings."