Lamborghini owner seeks nearly $200,000 for damage to sports car at Gurney's in Montauk

A Lamborghini owner from Dix Hills is suing a Montauk resort because his car's interior was allegedly flooded with water after valet parking attendants left its windows open during a July rainstorm.

The suit, filed Tuesday by Lamborghini owner Ramin Wahab, seeks at least $195,201.96, the estimate to repair his purple 2018 Aventador he gave in "excellent" condition to valet parkers at Gurney's Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa on July 4 as well as reimbursement for the vehicle’s diminished value.

"Rainwater entered the Vehicle through the open windows and soaked its interior, including the dashboard, the center console and its electronic controls, the seats and the trim," according to the lawsuit, which also names the attendants, whose identities are unknown. "Defendants did not close the windows, cover the Vehicle or move the Vehicle under cover before the rain began or ... for a substantial period ... When the Vehicle was returned to Plaintiff, its interior was wet and damaged."

A message left with Wahab, 40, owner of Kennedy Fried Chicken restaurants, was returned by his attorney, Ara V. Naljian, who declined to comment.

A reservationist at Gurney's asked a reporter to email the resort’s guest relations inbox, but a message seeking comment went unanswered.

The suit, filed at State Supreme Court in Suffolk County, alleges the resort’s general manager has "acknowledged in writing that the windows were left open during the rainstorm, and that the Vehicle was damaged as a result" but that the resort has refused to pay for the damage to the vehicle, a "twelve-cylinder exotic sports car produced in limited numbers."

The lawsuit quotes an email allegedly sent by the general manager, Mike Bolick, promising an "investigation so that we can come to a resolution."

But the suit stated there has been no resolution, and the resort has not paid for the damage.

According to a summary of the estimate to repair the vehicle, it needs "replacement of the upper dash panel, the center console operating device and both front seats, together with interior trim work, diagnostic scans and deodorizing."

Even once fixed, the suit stated, the Lamborghini "is an exotic automobile whose market value depends heavily on its condition and history. By reason of the water intrusion, the Vehicle has sustained a diminution in market value that will persist after repair."

The Kelley Blue Book value of a 2018 Lamborghini Aventador is roughly $360,000 or more, depending on the condition and features.

Gurney’s, which dates to 1926 when it opened as a 20-room inn, is "long an iconic year-round Hamptons resort," a Newsday restaurant critic wrote in 2024.

It’s been host to dignitaries and celebrities. It’s where, in 1968, Richard Nixon wrote the speech he’d deliver to accept his party’s presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention.

"For a luxury escape," Newsday wrote last year, "few places match Gurney’s Montauk."

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.