A Gilded Age relic, two stubborn sisters, and a battle that won't quit

"For six years, they stalled creditors, ignored deadlines, and filed stacks of legal documents. They declined to unlock their ornate front doors for court-ordered visits by realtors, lawyers, and federal marshals. And even now, they keep fighting to reclaim their former Gilded Age Manhattan townhouse - on the brink of its $34.5 million bankruptcy sale, set to close as early as Sunday."

""This has been miserably difficult," bankruptcy trustee Albert Togut told the judge Wednesday of his own four years of litigating against the octogenarian siblings. "We should not be abused anymore," the trustee, a 40-year veteran of the bankruptcy courts, said of his energetic, self-represented adversaries."

""It's not going to have any clear title, so I don't know that they're going to be able to close it," Marianne told Business Insider in a phone call, expressing confidence that title issues would prevent the sale's completion despite the bankruptcy judge's approval."

Marianne Nestor, widow of designer Oleg Cassini, and her sister Peggy, both in their 80s, have waged a prolonged legal battle to retain their 1901 Gilded Age Manhattan townhouse facing a $34.5 million bankruptcy sale. For six years, they stalled creditors, ignored deadlines, and filed extensive legal documents while refusing court-ordered property access. Despite being forcibly evicted by US Marshals two years ago, they continue fighting through multiple courthouses. A bankruptcy judge approved the final liquidation plan Wednesday, rejecting their eleventh-hour protests. The bankruptcy trustee, a 40-year veteran, expressed frustration after four years of litigation, calling the case "miserably difficult." The Nestors maintain the sale cannot close due to title issues and promise to reclaim their 40-year home.

Read at Business Insider