Good to see Courtney Love's doing the Trinity Philosophical Society proud (by way of a reminder the award is "only awarded to people whose contribution within their sphere is considered exceptional"... Those lucky enough to receive the honour must "protect the Society and using their good names to ensure its continued survival") - she's due in court on December 21st for (allegedly) falling behind on her rent. By about $54,000. She's also taken it upon herself to do a bit of DIY. Then she set fire to a curtain. Her landlady isn't happy. So she's trying to get Love evicted.
Donna Lyon, the owner of the West Village townhouse Love's been renting for the last ten months, had this to say to the New York Post: "It was decorated by the previous owner, interior designer Steven Gambrel. One of the requirements of the lease is that nothing should be done to the interiors. Courtney has wallpapered and painted a large portion of the property without my consent. I learned about this when I wanted to sell the house and had photographs taken. They sent me the brochure and I said, 'This can't be my property'. I came to New York to see it and I was horrified by what she had done. The walls that had been hand-painted and glazed were ruined, covered in damask wallpaper and ice-blue paint."
Of her tenant setting fire to a curtain in June, Lyon added: "I got a call from her accountant, who said, 'Miss Love is fine', which I was glad to hear, but I thought, 'What about the house?'" Bit of smoke damage probably, hence the ice-blue paint?
Love has made herself available for a retort: "I haven’t fallen behind on the rent - I have been paying month to month as agreed. My rent is current, but the owner is now asking for the remaining two months’ upfront. Even though it’s not required, I’d happily pay that and another six months’ rent upfront if she would extend the lease for six months. I have repainted, but I asked permission, and used a painter approved by the owner."
Love's lawyer, Eric D. Sherman, added: "I am unaware of any suit concerning alterations to the townhouse. It's unfortunate that Miss Lyon and her attorney chose to attack my client unfairly in the press, and we will deal with that accordingly. What we won’t do is respond in a similarly inappropriate manner."
And then the landlady's lawyer, Norman Flitt, had to get his two cents in: "There are two disputes: One is the rent nonpayment issue, which will be heard in court on Dec. 21. The other is the issue with the redecoration. If Courtney Love doesn't restore the property to its original condition by the end of the lease on Feb. 14th (Love day, as it were), we have the right to sue her for damages. We didn't give consent for them to do what they did to the house. It doesn't matter what painter they used. They should be telling you what they are doing to fix it."
Either way, it's a nice bit of publicity for Love and a soon to be sold property.