A dogfight between the owners of a $15 million mansion — where top celebs watch Hollywood films in the area’s largest screening room — may threaten the future of the estate.
When Jake Gyllenhaal’s latest flick, “End of Watch,’’ was screened at Goose Creek in East Hampton in August, guests included Gyllenhaal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Donna Karan and Jerry Seinfeld.
Now, Bob Felner, a 25 percent owner, is suing majority owner Bryan Bantry, claiming he never got his share of profits from rentals — including glitzy premieres and photo and movie shoots.
He filed suit in Suffolk Supreme Court in April seeking as much as $12 million.
“This whole thing started with me saying, ‘Can I please have my share of the rent?’ All this time, Goose Creek has been churning money into Bryan Bantry’s pocket,’’ Felner said, insisting that the house is, “literally, like an ATM machine.”
“The rental for last summer was $500,000,’’ but he never collected a dime, he said. “I never asked for anything until this April, when I said, ‘Send me my share of the rent.’ ’’
He said he consented to Bantry’s remortgaging the property for $6 million and never asked for any of that money or of the $500,000-a-summer rental fees.
He didn’t pay for upkeep, which is why he agreed to Bantry’s refinancing.
“Would you pay a share from something you receive no benefit from?’’ he asked.
But Bantry lawyer Brendan Marx said, “The property’s been running at a loss for years. It has a big staff and costs a lot to run. There’s no money to distribute. Felner’s responsible for 25 percent of that loss.’’
Felner added that he does not want to force a sale of Goose Creek — which could make it unavailable for A-list affairs.