NJ woman sues over wine-ruined Hermès bag— club wants receipt

ALPINE — A lawsuit filed by a woman who says her expensive Hermès bag was ruined by red wine spilled at the Alpine Country Club a year ago wears on after the club amended its response so that it does not implicate the waiter said to be involved in the mess.

Maryana Beyder filed the suit on Oct. 29 in Bergen County. According to the lawsuit, Beyder said she was dining at the club, which is at 80 Anderson Ave. in Demarest, on Sept. 7, 2018, when a waiter spilled wine on her Hermès bag.

Beyder said she suffered $30,000 in property damages, which the suit said the club should reimburse.

In an amended answer to the suit with cross-claims filed Tuesday, the club denied Beyder's allegation that any waiter spilled red wine all over her and/or "on any genuine Hermès bag."

An earlier version of the club's suit response filed Nov. 7 had also included the waiter, without disclosing his identity, in a cross-claim. The amended version removed the unidentified employee, always referred to as "John Doe" in the legal paperwork.

Ken Merber, the attorney representing Alpine Country Club, in an email to New Jersey 101.5 referred to an "orchestrated media campaign" by Beyder's lawyer and said proof of the handbag’s purchase was requested and has not been given.

As reported by NorthJersey.com, Beyder received the pink bag as a 30th birthday gift from her husband.

Such luxury handbags often appreciate in value, as seen in a recent online auction by Christies, which featured a 2013 Hermès Kelly Retourne 32 cm. handbag, in rose lipstick clemence leather with palladium hardware.

Merber said the lack of a receipt for the bag raises questions about the high-end accessory's authenticity and value.

He also said that Beyder's "prior counsel advised that Plaintiff’s husband who allegedly gave the bag to Ms. Beyder as a gift couldn’t even recall when or where he purchased the bag."

An email to Beyder's attorney, Alexandra Errico, was not responded to Wednesday.

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