Insurance executive and yacht owner Christopher Durnan was reportedly surprised when attorneys finally served him with legal papers after allegedly evading them for nearly two months. He is accused in a civil lawsuit of contributing to the death of New York fashion entrepreneur Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra.
According to court filings, Durnan sent lawyers on a search across the East Coast before they located him in October—about a year after Nolan-O’Slatarra was found dead aboard his yacht at the upscale Montauk Yacht Club.
“Was surprised it took you so long,” Durnan allegedly told the process server after being served on Oct. 1, court documents filed Oct. 15 and reviewed by The Post state.
Attorneys said Durnan was seen leaving a residence in Lantana, Florida, and followed to a home in Jupiter, where he was served outside the property at 12:07 p.m.
Durnan, believed to be the last person to see Nolan-O’Slatarra alive, is now the target of a $50 million lawsuit filed by her estate over the circumstances surrounding her death.
The 33-year-old fashion designer, who was based in New York City, was found unresponsive, cold and bloodied by emergency medical workers aboard Durnan’s yacht at the Montauk Yacht Club on Aug. 5, 2025.
Authorities initially suspected that she had died from an accidental drug overdose. However, an independent autopsy detected only trace amounts of cocaine in her system.
The lawsuit, first reported by The Post and filed in New York County Court on Aug. 4—the anniversary of Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death—accuses Durnan of assault, negligence and gross negligence that allegedly led to her death.
Representatives for Nolan-O’Slatarra’s estate began trying to contact Durnan and serve him with a summons and notice on Aug. 5. They made repeated attempts before locating him in South Florida roughly three months later.
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Lawyers and process servers visited three addresses linked to Durnan: two on Long Island and another in the Catskills.
Beginning Aug. 26, they made multiple visits but were unable to find Durnan and serve him with the legal documents.
At a Garden City, Long Island, property that Durnan has owned since 2023, a process server encountered a former Ivy League lacrosse standout. The individual declined to accept the summons and reportedly said it would simply be lost if left on the front steps.
Investigators eventually traced Durnan to the Lantana residence, where two vehicles registered in his name were parked outside.
Two process servers and a private investigator went to the Florida property at least 10 times between Sept. 2 and Sept. 30. Each attempt to contact and serve Durnan was unsuccessful.
When the summons was finally delivered, Durnan allegedly mocked the length of the effort, remarking on how long it had taken attorneys to find him, according to an affidavit first reported by the Irish Independent.
Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family has established a tip line as part of a private investigation into her death, which remains an open case.
“The family of Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra and their legal team are seeking information that may help their investigation into her death in Montauk,” states MarthaTipline.com, a website created by attorney Michael Bowe of Brithem LLP.
“Brithem’s legal team continues to investigate and is asking anyone with information to come forward,” the site adds.
