Family of NYC fashion designer found dead on Montauk boat to file wrongful death lawsuit

The family of a New York City fashion designer found dead on a boat in the Hamptons last year is preparing to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the man she was with when she died.

Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, 33, was found dead on Aug. 5 of last year on a boat owned by Christopher Durnan, 61, that was docked at the Montauk Yacht Club in the ritzy region of New York’s Long Island.

Last week, Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family filed a summons with notice against Durnan in Manhattan Supreme Court, accusing him of assault, gross negligence, and reckless and wanton conduct in connection with the woman’s death. The family is seeking a sum of $50 million in damages. Durnan has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the death.

A lawyer for Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family, Michael Bowe of Brithem LLP, said in a statement to NBC News that the family has conducted their own investigation of Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death and “does not believe Martha died from intoxicants.”

He said that EMTs found “blood in her mouth, on her chest and head, on the floor, and possibly behind her head” and reported “the body was cold despite her allegedly having just lost consciousness.”

Durnan did not immediately return a request for comment. An attorney for Durnan, Robert Holdman, told New York Magazine last year that his client was “absolutely destroyed” over Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death.

“He watched his friend die in trauma,” the lawyer said.

The Suffolk County Medical Examiner has not publicly released a final cause and manner of death for Nolan-O’Slatarra. The examiner’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

The Suffolk County Police Department issued a statement in the days following Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death saying that her autopsy “did not show evidence of violence and her final cause of death is pending further examination.”

The police department declined to comment on the discrepancy between its statement and the new allegations.

East Hampton Town Police responded to a 911 call from a man reporting a woman unconscious on a boat docked around midnight the day she was pronounced dead, according to last year’s statement.

She was pronounced dead on the boat by first responders after good Samaritans attempted to perform CPR on her, police said.

Nolan-O’Slatarra was originally from Ireland and owned a swimwear company called East x East . She said in a 2024 interview with the Irish Independent that she came to New York to follow her dreams as a businesswoman.

“I was the small town girl who needed to get out to achieve her big dreams,” she said. “I always knew I wanted to be successful, that I was money-driven, business-driven — and that fashion is a tough industry and it would be a slow road.”