The insurance tycoon and yacht owner accused of causing the death of New York fashion entrepreneur Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra was shocked to receive legal documents after dodging lawyers for two months.
Christopher Durnan allegedly sent lawyers on a futile hunt up and down the East Coast until they finally tracked him down in October. A year ago, Nolan-O’Slatarra was found dead on the financier’s boat at the Montauk Luxury Yacht Club.
“I’m surprised it took you so long,” Dunant said after receiving the documents on Oct. 1, according to court documents filed on Oct. 15 and reviewed by The Washington Post.
Dunant was arrested while leaving a residence in Lantana, Florida, and followed to a house in Jupiter, Florida, where he received services at 12:07 p.m., attorneys said.
Dunant, believed to be the last person to see Nolan-Oslatala alive, is facing a $50 million civil lawsuit from the estate seeking compensation for her mysterious death.
On August 5, 2025, Durnan’s boat was docked at the Montauk Yacht Club, and first responders found the 33-year-old New York fashion designer unresponsive, cold and covered in blood.
Her death was initially thought to be an accidental drug overdose, but an independent autopsy found only trace amounts of cocaine in her system.
Dunant is charged with assault, criminal negligence and gross negligence in the death of Nolan-Oslatala, according to the lawsuit, first reported by The Washington Post and filed in New York County Court on August 4, the anniversary of Nolan-Oslatala’s death.
Lawyers for the Nolan-Oslatala estate made multiple attempts to contact Dunant and began serving him notice subpoenas on Aug. 5, before they finally tracked him down in South Florida three months later.
Officials attempted to contact Dunant at three addresses associated with the investor – two on Long Island and a third in the Catskills.
In every attempt starting on August 26, attorneys and the process servers they hired came up empty-handed to locate and serve Dunant.
A process server at an address in Garden City, Long Island, where Dunant had kept the deed since 2023, encountered a star Ivy League lacrosse player who refused to accept the subpoena and said the deed would only be lost if it was left on the porch.
Dunant was eventually found at Lantana’s address, where two cars registered to him were parked outside.
Two different process servers and a hired investigator tried to contact Dunant in Florida at least 10 times between Sept. 2 and Sept. 30, but were unable to reach the tycoon each time.
When Doonan received the summons, he made an arrogant statement to the waiter, mocking how long it had taken him to be served, according to the affidavit, first reported by the Irish Independent.
As the case remains open, Nolan-Oslatala’s family has set up a tip line to help with the private investigation into her death.
“Martha Nolan-Oslatala’s family and their legal team are seeking information that may assist in the investigation into her death in Montauk,” said MarthaTipline.com, a reporting website established by attorney Michael Bowe of Brithem LLP.
“Brithem’s legal team are continuing to investigate and are asking anyone with information to come forward,” the website said.