Lulu Simon Accuses Richard Gere of Breaking Promise Over Childhood Home
A bitter dispute has erupted over a 32-acre estate formerly owned by singer Paul Simon, with Lulu Simon publicly accusing actor Richard Gere of failing to uphold a promise to preserve the land after purchasing the property in 2022. The allegations, made via social media, center on the sale of the historic home to a developer for subdivision.
Lulu Simon, the daughter of Paul Simon, alleges that Gere agreed to “take care of the land” as a condition of the purchase. According to a post shared on Instagram Stories, Gere “bought my childhood home, promised he would take care of the land as condition of his purchase,” and then “proceeded to never actually move in & just sold it to a developer as 9 separate plots.”
The property, a 1938 brick Colonial, was sold last year for $10.75 million to SBP Homes after Gere and his wife, Alejandra Silva, relocated to Spain. Realtor.com reported that Hudson Valley House Parts was contracted in May to salvage historic elements of the home prior to its redevelopment.
The situation took a particularly personal turn when Lulu Simon posted a photograph of Gere alongside images of deceased pets, accompanied by a stark message: “I hope my dead pets buried in that back yard haunt you until you descend into a slow and unrelenting madness.” This statement underscores the deep emotional connection Simon has to the property and her resentment towards Gere.
Initially, Gere and Silva had expressed intentions to transform the majority of the land into a farm. During a 2023 meeting with the local Planning and Zoning Commission, their lawyer, David Rucci, sought to alleviate concerns from neighbors. “I have received phone calls from four or five neighbors (who were) very concerned … if this was going to be some sort of big commercial operation, and it’s really not,” Rucci stated, according to the New Canaan Advertiser. He further explained that the couple, both having grown up on farms, were “very interested in farms and teaching their kids about farms.”
However, the subsequent sale to a developer for subdivision appears to contradict those assurances. The unfolding situation raises questions about the weight of verbal agreements in real estate transactions and the preservation of historical properties in the face of development pressures. Lulu Simon’s public condemnation highlights the emotional toll such transactions can take, particularly when deeply personal connections to the land are involved.
