Philippe Chow founder Stratis Morfogen is being sued by a Manhattan dad who claims his two tots got sick because a lavish Southampton summer home he rented from the restaurateur was contaminated with black mold.
Brian Feuer, who forked over $106,000 upfront to rent out the 3,700 sq. ft., four-bedroom pad on Spinnaker Way from June 8 to Sept. 3, 2013, claims Morfogen knew the carpeted floor of the basement playroom was covered in mold but hid the spots with playmats, the Manhattan Supreme Court suit states.
“Feuer and his wife were shocked and horrified to discover the existence of the mold contamination,” the suit said. “Feuer immediately notified Morfogen of the mold contamination. Although Morfogen had known about the mold and had tried to cover it up, Morfogen feigned surprise.”
Feuer, who works as a portfolio manager, alleges he and his family were forced to relocate to another Hamptons home for a “substantial premium” that summer after his kids, ages 2 and 3 at the time, complained about feeling sick a day after they moved in.
Morfogen never returned the full $106,000 — $90,000 in rent, $9,000 security deposit and a $7,000 utility deposit — even though a mold inspection on July 3, 2013 confirmed “the existence of a hazardous mold contamination,” the suit says. The family moved out shortly after.
The lawsuit includes several photos of the playroom, filled with kid-sized furniture and toys.
In one picture, the colorful foam playmat is lifted up, revealing what appears to be a large circle of black mold on the carpeted floor. Another photo shows inspectors wore facemasks and protective suits to remove toys from a playhouse in the toxic room.
The suit claims Feuer’s now-4-year-old daughter developed allergies “which, on information and believe, were caused, in whole or in part, by her exposure to the mold contamination.”
“Both children have experienced intermittent problems sleeping, which, when questioned, are traced back to seeing men in hazardous-materials suits,” the suit says.
The dad is seeking an unspecified amount of money.
Morfogen told The Post one “dark spot” under the ball pit in the playroom tested negative for mold after he ripped up the carpeting and threw out all the furniture.
“I got a state-licensed mold technician. I got it remediated immediately within 24 hours. All the samples of the carpet that were dark came back negative for mold,” said Morfogen.
The businessman, who owns Upper East Side restaurants Philippe Chow and Cucina Ciano, said his three children play in the same area and that he’d never put them in harm’s way.
“No where were (Feuer’s) kids in danger and no where was the house delivered to them in any form of deception,” he said. “I don’t take this stuff lightly. I care about their children the way I care about my children.”
Morfogen’s wife, Filipa, once gushed about the fully stocked basement to Hamptons Magazine in a profile of the chic three-story home.
“The basement was done before we had a bed,” she told the mag. “The huge big-screen TV, the popcorn machine, the M&Ms vending machine, the sofas, carpeting, pool table, air hockey—all of that was there before I had a bed. We were sleeping on mattresses.”