Kevin Spacey’s attorneys are asking a judge to invalidate the pending sale of his Baltimore mansion, writing in court records filed Friday that it was auctioned without proper notice, fetched too low a price and that the buyer has bullied Spacey with publicity and threats of eviction.
Spacey wants the court to block Bethesda real estate investor Sam Asgari from completing purchase of the house and authorize a new sale of the foreclosed waterfront home, Edward U. Lee III, an attorney for the actor, wrote in the new court filing.
“Mr. Asgari’s conduct to date makes clear that he has no intention of complying with the rules applicable to purchasers following a foreclosure sale,” Lee wrote.
Furthermore, he wrote, Asgari posted an eviction notice on the house and claimed that it was abandoned. Lee wrote that Asgari knew the house wasn’t abandoned and that the posting was an attempt to “harass and coerce” Spacey to move out before he was required to leave under the law.
Lee emailed Asgari and told him the house wasn’t abandoned and Asgari replied the next day.
“Notwithstanding this acknowledgment by Mr. Asgari, his bullying and threatening behavior continued,” Lee wrote in the court filing.
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Spacey has lived at least seven years in the 9,000-square-foot Inner Harbor home, but he fell behind on mortgage payments and his house was sold at public auction in July. Asgari, of Simo Homes LLC, submitted the winning bid of $3.24 million — roughly $2 million less than Spacey had paid for the house.
Friday’s filing in Baltimore Circuit Court reveals an escalating fight between Asgari and Spacey as the investor attempts to complete his purchase and take possession of the house.
“The exceptions filed have no merit, and they’re designed to buy time on our expense, to live in the property for free and to smear the buyer,” Asgari said in a phone call. “The trustee and us will file in opposition, and we strongly believe that their claims are frivolous and will be denied.”
Following a foreclosure auction, the sale must be ratified, or approved, by the courts before the highest bidder can settle on the property and receive a deed. Investors say the process takes months. Only afterward may the buyer take further legal action and attempt eviction by sheriff’s deputies. The process generally permits an ex-homeowner to stay for months in a house after auction.
These disputes, however, often end sooner with a “cash-for-keys” agreement: The buyer simply pays the ex-homeowner to get out.
Asgari had offered Spacey $50,000 to move out by Sept. 15, according to emails included in the court filings. Lee wrote that he had proposed other terms, including allowing Spacey to live in the house until February in exchange for the actor not blocking the sale or interfering with attempts to resell the house.
A debt collection agency filed the foreclosure case against Spacey in April 2022. His attorneys twice participated in mediation, but were unable to stave off the sale. His homeowners association also filed a lien against the property for unpaid monthly assessments and fees.
Lee wrote that an advertisement for the public auction gave the house short shrift, therefore failing to bring in top dollar as required by law.
Once listed as “Baltimore’s most extraordinary home,” the house floats on a pier that stretches into the harbor from Federal Hill in one of the city’s most exclusive gated communities. Spacey had moved to Baltimore while filming the hit Netflix political drama “House of Cards,” and he bought the house for $5.65 million.
The house features five floors, five bedrooms, seven full baths, an elevator, sauna, home theater, rooftop terrace and four-car garage.
“It is not inconsequential that the Advertisement failed to mention the several significant and unique features of the Property that would have more clearly identified the nature of the Property as a luxury, waterfront mansion,” Lee wrote.
Lee also objected to an interview Asgari gave to The Baltimore Banner in which the investor said Spacey — named in the court papers as Kevin Spacey Fowler — was “refusing to leave,” resulting in a deluge of media attention and drawing “undue scrutiny into Mr. Fowler’s affairs.”
“Mr. Asgari continued his pressure campaign,” Lee wrote, “e-mailing the undersigned threatening to proceed with interviews with Inside Edition and CBS News that same day unless an immediate response was provided regarding the vacancy date.”
Lee did not immediately respond to an email late Friday. He’s asked the Baltimore Circuit Court to schedule a hearing on the matter.
The distinctive pier home remained Spacey’s primary residence after he was fired from “House of Cards” over allegations of sexual assault. In an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, the actor broke down when he discussed losing his home.
“I’m not quite sure where I’m going to live now,” Spacey said.
He also revealed that he’s millions of dollars in debt, can’t pay his legal bills and was moving his belongings into storage.
Spacey was fired from “House of Cards” and sued in Manhattan for allegedly making a sexual advance on a teenage boy in the 1980s, which the actor denied. In October 2022, jurors sided with Spacey in the case.
Nine months after that decision, a London jury acquitted Spacey of sexual assault in another case. The actor told jurors he had been out of work since the first sex abuse allegations came out against him.