New York Man Sues Ex-Wife for Ruining His $300,000 Wine Collection

When Michael and Concetta Clarke divorced in July last year, he got the $3 million ski house.

This 6,200-square-foot contemporary log home in upstate New York sits on a third of an acre and features six bedrooms, six bathrooms, two fireplaces, a game room, a gym, a wet bar and a chef’s kitchen, as well as climate-controlled wine storage — which apparently became an irreconcilable point of contention between the once-happy couple.

Michael is now suing Concetta over the destruction of his 400-bottle wine collection, thanks to what he claims was the “selfless malice” of his ex-wife, according to a complaint obtained by The Independent.

“The Defendant… intentionally inflicted harm on the Plaintiff, resulting in… the destruction of the Plaintiff’s $300,000 wine collection, and without the Defendant having any excuse or justification for its actions,” the lawsuit alleges.

Attorney Matthew Keating, who filed the lawsuit on Michael’s behalf, did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Concetta does not have an attorney listed in court documents and could not be reached.

Michael, 45, and Concetta, 44, married in 2005, and the Brooklyn-born couple were together for nearly 20 years before splitting, the lawsuit says.

At the time of their separation, the two co-owned the ski house in Windham, New York, the complaint says. It cites a clause in which Concetta allegedly agreed to transfer her interest in the property to Michael within 30 days of signing the agreement, and claims that Michael would be “solely responsible for paying all fees and costs associated” with the house, including utilities.

“All items currently present (in the home) shall belong to the husband, free and clear of any claim by the wife,” the suit continues.

The residence’s New York State Electric & Gas service was in both their names, and Concetta called the provider on Sept. 5, 2023, to remove her name from the account, the complaint continues. However, it claims that Concetta “simultaneously, intentionally and/or negligently, also removed (Michael’s) name” from the account.

Because Michael’s name was no longer associated with the NYSEG account, he stopped receiving communications from them about it, the complaint says. Weeks later, Michael went home and discovered that Concetta had not only removed both of their names from the NYSEG account, but had completely discontinued service to the address “without informing him,” the complaint says.

The lawsuit alleges that Concetta “knew at all times that (Michael) was storing his investment (approximately 400 bottles of wine, valued at approximately $300,000), above ground, inside the home… under the protection of refrigerated conditions such as refrigerated conditions powered by the NYSEG electric service.”

Due to her “intentional and/or negligent actions,” Concetta “caused an interruption of electrical power resulting in a lack of refrigeration, including an increase in temperature in the storage room and a daily variation in temperature in the room where the wine collection was stored, causing the destruction of (Michael’s) wine collection,” the lawsuit alleges.

Michael is seeking a total of $600,000 from Concetta, with interest, starting October 1, 2023, plus legal fees. She now has three weeks to file a formal response to the allegations.