The widow of wealthy Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio claims famed actor Anthony Hopkins was poised to buy her Hamptons estate for $7.5 million — but then went as silent as the lambs.
The two-time Oscar-winning British knight and his wife Stella agreed to buy the seven-bed, six-bath, 6,732-square-foot Bridgehampton mansion in September, and shelled out $750,000 for the down payment, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit against the couple.
The Hopkinses even “represented that it was important to close expediently due to the loss of their home in California in the wildfires,” according to the litigation.
Owner Louise Riggio agreed and “swiftly emptied the house.”
But when it came time for the closing, the actor did a dramatic turn.
“I am so sorry for the late notice, but I just received a call that my clients need to postpone the closing
tomorrow due to a health emergency,” the couple’s lawyer wrote in an Oct. 29 email.
Riggio, whose spouse was worth $700 million when he died in August 2024 at age 83, did not take kindly to the plot twist.
“Anthony Hopkins . . . made an appearance on the ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ on the very same
day as . . . the closing, and Mr. Hopkins is currently on a media and press tour promoting a new book,” her attorneys contended.
By Nov. 4, the Hopkins’ attorney said the couple “has no intentions of purchasing the premises,” which sits on 1.2 acres and features cathedral ceilings, a gym, wine cellar, two-car garage, pool house and bocce court.
Riggio is in the midst of selling off chunks of the pair’s real estate empire and art collections, including their 11-room apartment at storied 720 Park Ave., which is on the market for $17 million. Riggio also unloaded her Palm Beach, Fla., home in November 2024 for $81 million.
Riggio — who dropped the case like a hot potato Friday after The Post reached out for comment — claimed she’s entitled to keep the down payment, plus interest and expenses.
The Hopkinses have since put their Malibu estate up for sale, according to The Mirror. He shelled out $12.6 million for two lots that he then combined — but it’s on the market for only $6.4 million.
Lawyers for the actor and the widow didn’t return messages for comment.
Read the full article here