Weston'sCobb'sMill Inn occupant ordered to pay $20K in rent, claims 'I'm not a squatter' in court

Aug. 7—Despite that — and the fact that he said he's paying $179 a night to sleep at a Norwalk hotel — Villano said he spends thousands of dollars a month on insurance and other upkeep for the property, and has no plans to vacate the premises anytime soon.

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Villano and Laura Friedman, the widow of the inn's former owner, have been living at the property for more than a year — without having any legal right to do so, a judge ruled last month in an eviction case. The decision from Judge Sheila A. Ozalis marked the latest development in a years-long legal fight between Villano and Friedman on one side and the new owners, Sandra and Kleber Siguenza, on the other.

A probate judge had previously ruled against Friedman in 2021, saying she didn't have a legal claim to the property and it could be sold to the Siguenzas. The judge also said Friedman and Villano had to leave the property.

Villano and Friedman have appealed the most recent ruling, and have maintained pending claims in other civil cases against the Siguenzas, who bought the property in January 2022. Villano has claimed in court filings that he had a prior deal to buy it. The parties were back in front of Ozalis Wednesday as their lawyers argued over how much money Villano and Friedman should put up during the appeal, and how.

On Friday, the judge ordered Villano and Friedman to pay $20,000 a month to occupy the property while the appeal is pending. If they fail to, the Siguenzas' attorneys could cite any non-payment in a request to have the appeal dismissed.

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Friedman phoned into Wednesday's hearing from an island in northern Greece where she was visiting a friend. A rooster occasionally cawed in the background as she spoke from a restaurant where she said she had to go for cell reception.

She defiantly asserted she had been cheated when asked by one of the Siguenzas' lawyers, Joseph Cherico, if she had ever paid them a penny to stay at the Cobb's Mill Inn.

"I've paid in what they have stolen from me," Friedman said.

The Siguenzas have also filed a lawsuit, claiming Villano and Friedman illegally sold items and furnishings they didn't own from the inn. That case is pending.

Though Friedman and Villano testified about the thousands of dollars they said it takes to maintain the property each month, the judge noted they hadn't brought any supporting documentation to court Wednesday.

Cherico also pointed out Villano did not have any documentation to back up his claims that the property needs about $2 million in renovations.

"There's plenty of estimates," he said. "Just not here today."

"Just not here today, when we're here to talk about the value of the property, right?" Cherico said.

"Absolutely," Villano said.

He was also unsure about certain dates, like when he moved to the property. First, he said it was 2020, then said it must have been 2021.

"I believe it was March," he said at one point. "Don't hold me to it, your honor."

"Well, I'm trying to hold you to the facts, sir," Ozalis replied, noting he had testified moments earlier that there had been a break-in where he had property stolen in February 2021.

Villano said he had moved property to the site prior to sleeping there nightly, and that his whereabouts could be checked against the records of a GPS bracelet he wears as a condition of his release in several unrelated criminal cases in Milford Superior Court, where he has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

He said the Cobb's Mill Inn is still his home, though he has many residences throughout the world.

"I have lots of apartments," he sad. "I have apartments in Italy, I have apartments in Florida, I have apartments here, I have homes here. I'm not a squatter, your honor."

A day after the hearing, the Siguenzas' lawyers filed a request in court for the judge to allow the Siguenzas to inspect the inn because "the Defendants may have caused and/or allowed a waste of the property" based on the testimony.

Villano had blamed the Suguenzas for the apparent decline in value, saying pipes froze in the building after they ordered the utilities there shut off.

Villano and his lawyer, Joseph Rini, said they were waiting for trial transcripts before deciding how to proceed further with the appeal.

The lawyer cited "many grounds" for potential appeal of the judge's decision.

"There were a lot of technical defenses and we don't agree with everything her honor said in the decision and we don't think some of it is substantiated," Rini said.