OpenAI’s Sam Altman initially desired a mansion with a bat cave but instead ended up with what he claims to be a “lemon.”
A new lawsuit has been filed against the contractors of the $27 million house Altman owns in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood. The lawsuit targets builders Troon Pacific and its CEO Greg Malin, seeking unspecified damages for the luxury home. The plaintiff, 950 Lombard LLC, is tied to Altman through public records, as he is the current resident. The LLC purchased the home in 2020.
The 9,000-square-foot estate, featured in Architectural Digest in 2020, includes a wellness cottage, a “bat cave” tunnel, an outdoor theater, an art gallery, and a “turntable” garage.
However, the lawsuit alleges that the house was poorly constructed, leading to significant damage. Key complaints include a defective infinity pool with waterproofing issues that caused flooding last year. Additionally, there were problems with a faulty sewage line that resulted in raw sewage being sent onto the property. The suit claims that Troon and Malin were aware of these issues and falsely claimed to have resolved them to facilitate the sale.
Repairing the property is estimated to cost at least $4 million.
Troon Pacific and Malin have previously faced other lawsuits alleging subpar workmanship and have reportedly reimbursed nearly $50 million to investors.