Over three years of legal battles between the city of Los Angeles and real estate developer Mohamed Hadid (father of Bella and Gigi) have come to an end with a County Superior Judge sentencing the developer to community service and fines.
"These were serious violations," City Attorney Mike Feuer said in a statement over the illegal construction of Hadid's Bel Air project. "It was essential to hold the defendant accountable for committing them. We have building and safety rules for a reason, and no one is above the law. The conditions we fought for, and which the court granted, are essential for the safety of this community. And the court's continuing oversight will assure these key conditions are complied with."
Hadid's 30,000 square foot mega-mansion at 901 Strada Vecchia in Bel Air's East Gate community was built "without proper permits, failure to bring [the] building into compliance, and [refusal] to comply with building codes," notes Curbed LA. The city quickly halted the project, and the property has remained in limbo ever since. In 2015, Feuer filed misdemeanor charges against Hadid.
On Thursday, after finding Hadid guilty of violating various building codes, Judge Eric Harmon sentenced the developer to 200 hours of community service, $3,000 in fines, $14,000 to the city's building department, and an amount to the Department of Water and Power that is yet undecided, reports the Los Angeles Times. Furthermore, Hadid is now required to stabilize the hill the mansion is being built on, and bring the project up to code before completing it, or pay the city to have it razed.
“We’re interested in one thing and one thing only … bringing this building into compliance,” Robert Shapiro an attorney for Hadid said, reports the Times. “I can assure you that when this building is complete, it will be one of the most beautiful homes in Bel-Air, if not the country.”
Yet, not everyone is happy with the sentencing. "It is extremely unfortunate that massive violations of the code are penalized in the same way as the most minor violations,” Joseph Horacek, neighbor to the Strada Vecchia project said after the hearing.
Hadid did not appear in court on Thursday for sentencing.
