The widow of wealthy Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio claims famed actor Anthony Hopkins was poised to buy her Hamptons estate for $7.5 million \u2014 but then went as silent as the lambs.<\/p>\n
The two-time Oscar-winning British knight and his wife Stella agreed to buy the seven-bed, six-bath, 6,732-square-foot Bridgehampton mansion in September, and shelled out $750,000 for the down payment, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit against the couple.<\/p>\n
The Hopkinses even \u201crepresented that it was important to close expediently due to the loss of their home in California in the wildfires<\/a>,\u201d according to the litigation.<\/p>\n Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins allegedly backed out of a $7.5 million deal to buy a Bridgehampton estate. Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival<\/p>\n Hopkins and his wife Stella agreed to buy the seven-bed, six-bath, 6,732-square-foot mansion in September, and shelled out $750,000 for the down payment, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit against the couple. Dennis A. Clark<\/p>\n The Hopkinses even \u201crepresented that it was important to close expediently due to the loss of their home in California in the wildfires,\u201d according to the litigation. Dennis A. Clark<\/p>\n Owner Louise Riggio agreed and \u201cswiftly emptied the house.\u201d<\/p>\n But when it came time for the closing, the actor did a dramatic turn.<\/p>\n \u201cI am so sorry for the late notice, but I just received a call that my clients need to postpone the closing Riggio, whose spouse was worth $700 million when he died in August 2024 at age 83, did not take kindly to the plot twist.<\/p>\n \u201cAnthony Hopkins . . . made an appearance on the \u2018Late Show with Stephen Colbert\u2019 on the very same By Nov. 4, the Hopkins\u2019 attorney said the couple \u201chas no intentions of purchasing the premises,\u201d which sits on 1.2 acres and features cathedral ceilings, a gym, wine cellar, two-car garage, pool house and bocce court. <\/a><\/p>\n Len and Louise Riggio own significant art collections and property, including an NYC apartment and the Hamptons home. Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n The Bridgehampton home has a bocce court and a chef\u2019s kitchen. Google Maps<\/p>\n Riggio is in the midst of selling off chunks of the pair\u2019s real estate empire and art collections<\/a>, including their 11-room apartment at storied 720 Park Ave., which is on the market for $17 million<\/a>. <\/p>\n Riggio also unloaded her Palm Beach, Fla., home in November 2024 for $81 million.<\/p>\n Riggio \u2014 who dropped the case like a hot potato Friday after The Post reached out for comment \u2014 claimed she\u2019s entitled to keep the down payment, plus interest and expenses.<\/p>\n
tomorrow due to a health emergency,\u201d the couple\u2019s lawyer wrote in an Oct. 29 email.<\/p>\n
day as . . . the closing, and Mr. Hopkins is currently on a media and press tour promoting a new book,\u201d her attorneys contended.<\/p>\n