An alleged squatter residing in a luxurious $13 million townhouse in New York City has been identified as a long-standing nuisance with a checkered legal history, our investigation reveals.
Hilarie Page, 66, faces a court appearance later this month after reportedly refusing to vacate a four-story residence on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The property became a point of contention following the death of its affluent owner.
Page had been employed as a live-in housekeeper for entrepreneur Craig Schmeizer before his death, which occurred only weeks after her arrest on charges of allegedly assaulting him.
While Schmeizer’s family has called for the reopening of the investigation into his death, police maintain there was no foul play involved and have closed the case.
Our examination into Page’s background has unearthed a lengthy history of evictions, tax evasion, and unpaid debts, a pattern stretching over more than forty years. This includes at least nine legal judgments and tax liens dating back to the 1980s, as documented in court records.
She has racked up at least nine judgments and tax liens since the 1980s, according to court records.
A former friend who claimed Page refused to leave his apartment after squatting on his couch for years described her as a ‘parasite’ with a ‘nasty streak.’
And neighbors in the Upper East Side recognized her as the woman who would often ‘scream, yell and curse’ at people in the street.
Hilaire Page, 66, is being sued by the entity that owns the building after allegedly blocking estate reps from entering
Page has allegedly been holed up inside this $13.2 million Upper East Side townhouse where she worked as a live-in housekeeper
Page’s latest legal trouble began in November when she allegedly refused to leave 111 East 81st Street.
According to a complaint filed by the building entity, estate representatives arrived at the townhouse after the death of the home owner but were unable to gain access.
Locks had allegedly been changed and when a locksmith was called and regained entry, Page allegedly ran to the door screaming and blocked them again.
The Daily Mail visited the home multiple times in early March but could not reach Page.
Weeks later a holdover eviction notice was taped to the front door informing her that the landlord is suing her for eviction and that she is required to be present in civil court later this month.
According to the petition, if she does not appear a judgment will be entered against her.
In April 2019, Page was served with an eviction notice on a different property.
She was taken to housing court by a friend who said she refused to leave after he allowed her to stay in his Chelsea apartment temporarily.
What began as a short-term arrangement dragged on for two years, with Page allegedly refusing to leave and continuing to sleep on his couch.
Terry Niefield claimed she used emotional blackmail and manipulation to justify her stay and occasionally turned violent – once throwing a boiling hot cup of coffee at him.
Court filings reviewed by the Daily Mail show that just a few years earlier, in February 2017, she was evicted from a charming Murray Hill townhouse apartment after failing to pay $11,000 in rent.
The Murray Hill townhouse Page was evicted from in 2017 for failing to pay months of rent
A holdover eviction notice was taped to the front door informing her that the landlord is suing her for eviction and that she is required to be present in civil court later this month
Page had a federal tax lien at a townhouse on East 64th Street by the IRS going back to 2007
When she was served with a warrant of eviction, she sought to delay proceedings by claiming she was suffering from the flu and could not move her belongings into storage.
She wrote: ‘I have no funds to use to find another place to call home,’ adding, ‘When I leave the premises I will be homeless… being evicted from the premises with no other available place to live is my worst nightmare.’
In 2007, the IRS pursued her for more than $11,000 in unpaid taxes while she was living in a five-story pre-war rental on East 64th Street in Lenox Hill – an upscale enclave by Central Park.
Records show Page also faced legal action over spending sprees and unpaid tabs at high-end businesses.
In 1996 and 1997 she ran up nearly $13,000 in charges at luxury retailer Barneys New York, buying clothing, shoes and accessories before failing to pay.
The company eventually took legal action to recover the money.
She was also sued by the Upper East Side French bistro Sel & Poivre after allegedly racking up a $5,000 bill and failing to settle it.
The upscale restaurant – a neighborhood fixture for more than three decades before closing in 2024 – served classic dishes including duck confit and foie gras.
Court records show the case was brought in New York Supreme Court over non-payment.
Page’s former boss Craig Schmeizer (pictured with his estranged family) died last November and Page has reportedly refused to leave the late mattress mogul’s home
Page shopped at Barney’s NY where she spent thousands on clothing, shoes and accessories
But the Daily Mail has found that Page’s legal troubles stretch far beyond New York.
Public records link her to at least four addresses in the Los Angeles area dating back to the late 1990s. There have been known issues involving Page at two of them.
One property, a single-family residence on Wilshire Boulevard, became the subject of a state tax lien after she racked up more than $3,500 in unpaid taxes.
Around 2002, while living in Santa Monica, she faced legal action for violating the terms of a lease agreement.
After her time in California, records indicate Page moved back to New York, where she stayed at a women’s shelter on the Upper West Side run by Volunteers of America.
The organization provides housing support for vulnerable individuals. But even there, court filings show she failed to pay $2,100 in unpaid fees.
The case ended in civil court, with a marshal’s warrant issued for her eviction in 2006.
But rent disputes were not the only issues that landed her in court.
The French bistro Sel & Poivre that is no longer in business is where Page dined and dashed
Longtime New Yorker Terry Niefield, 83, offered Page a place to stay at his Chelsea apartment until she find a new place but refused to leave for two years
Page is also linked to properties in Florida and Massachusetts, though she appeared to stay out of legal trouble while there.
Between 1983 and 1985, she moved between three different addresses in Miami Beach, all in affluent areas.
From there she moved to Boston, where she lived in a one-bedroom apartment on Newbury Street – a sought-after location known for its boutiques and cafes.
The Daily Mail made several attempts to contact Page for comment on this story.
While the legal battle for control of the Upper East Side home plays out, the family of the property’s late owner has called for the investigation into his death to be reopened.
Page moved in with Craig Schmeizer in late 2024. He had been living in the property alone since becoming estranged from his wife Sarah Shalev and their two children.
In November 2025, Schmeizer, 52, was found dead at the property from blunt force trauma.
An autopsy ruled the cause of death ‘subdural hemorrhage due to blunt force trauma of head,’ with chronic alcohol use as a contributing factor.
The manner of death was deemed ‘undetermined.’
Just weeks earlier, in September, Page was arrested on assault and harassment-related charges stemming from an incident at the townhouse that left Schmeizer injured, according to the New York Post.
A photo obtained by the Post showed blood dripping from around his left ear onto his white shirt. The charges were dropped, however, and the NYPD told the Daily Mail: ‘The investigation regarding his death is closed. There was no criminality.’
