Deprived of a home in Moscow, income from a resort in Courchevel, and 20 cars.
The wife of the creator of Donstroy Dmitry Zelenov Natalya Dvoryaninova and their adult son Mikhail Zelenov have filed a lawsuit in a Florida court against the deceased businessman's parents, adult daughter, and financial adviser, as reported by Forbes USA citing the claim.
As per the lawsuit submitted on January 24, Dvoryaninova and her son claim that they are allegedly being stripped of several of Zelenov's major assets worldwide, which they should inherit. They state that the defendants changed the locks in Zelenov and his wife's Moscow home and removed over 20 cars, including four Mercedes, two Bentleys, and one Rolls Royce. This information is reported by Forbes USA.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs assert that they have lost access to rental earnings from a luxury ski resort in Courchevel, France, as well as a seven-bedroom residence in New Jersey valued at $5 million, according to Forbes.
Zelenov's parents have not responded to phone calls and messages, according to the newspaper. The defendants have until February 16 to reply to the lawsuit before the trial commences.
Forbes USA notes that Zelenov did not leave a will or a plan for property distribution among heirs. His assets were not structured through a trust, but through limited liability companies of which he was the ultimate owner. Michael Karlin, a partner at the international law firm Karlin & Peebles, told Forbes USA that when there is no will or trust, things can go awry. He also mentioned that trusts are often used as substitutes for wills.
Zelenov passed away unexpectedly at the end of 2022. According to Nice Matin, citing the prosecutor's office, he was hospitalized in Nice due to a head injury and died on December 10. The French police initiated an investigation into his death, but no foul play is suspected, as reported by Forbes USA.
Zelenov co-founded Donstroy with a business partner in 1994. The company was involved in residential and commercial real estate projects, with some of the most well-known being the high-rise residential complexes such as 'Scarlet Sails', 'Triumph-Palace', 'House on Mosfilmovskaya', as well as the Schuka shopping center and the NordStar Tower business center. Maxim
Blazhko In 2008, Zelenov was listed in Forbes' ranking of the wealthiest billionaires. However, after the crisis that began that year, the company came under the control of its largest creditor, VTB Bank, and continued to develop under the new Donstroy brand. In 2021, the developer announced the Ostrov premium project in the southern part of the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain.
Donstroy claimed 12th place in the Forbes rating of the largest developers in 2022 and 83rd place in the Forbes rating of the '200 largest private companies in Russia' in 2021, with a revenue of 129.4 billion rubles.
In 2022, Donstroy took 12th place in the Forbes rating of the largest developers in 2022. In 2021, he took 83rd place in the Forbes rating “200 largest private companies in Russia” with a revenue of 129.4 billion rubles.