Owners of Marilyn Monroe's Los Angeles home sue to stop historical designation

The owners of Marilyn Monroe's former Brentwood home are suing the city of Los Angeles to block an effort to have the structure declared a historic-culture landmark, which would prevent its demolition.

The plaintiffs in the case, home owners Brinah Milstein and her husband Roy Bank, have owned the property since July 2023 and were granted a demolition permit from the city.

In September 2023, the Los Angeles City Council temporarily halted the demolition of the home, much to the relief of fans and historians. The sentiment was that the home should be preserved as a crucial piece of Hollywood and Los Angeles history.

The historical landmark application has been working its way through the city process, receiving approval in January from the Cultural Heritage Commission and later from the council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

The matter still needs to be heard by the full City Council, which must be done my mid-June.

The homeowners took steps to stop the process and filed a Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit on Monday. It alleges "illegal and unconstitutional conduct" by the city "with respect to the house where Marilyn Monroe occasionally lived for a mere six months before she tragically committed suicide 61 years ago."

The suit alleges that the city violated its own codes and procedures in pushing for the monument designation for the property.

"All of these backroom machinations were in the name of preserving a house which in no way meets any of the criteria for an `Historic Cultural Monument," the lawsuit states. "That much is bolstered by the fact, among others, that for 60 years through 14 owners and numerous remodels and building permits issued by the city, the city has taken no action regarding the now- alleged `historic' or `cultural' status of the house."

The suit alleges the city's action have caused "irreparable" harm to the building's owners and robbed them of "their vested rights as owners of real property."

The lawsuit requests a court order blocking the monument designation, allowing the plaintiffs to move forward with their planned demolition.