A Manhattan art dealer who claims to be related to the famed Guggenheim family allegedly left his Swiss wedding planner on the hook for his lavish $656,000 French wedding.
Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim’s lavish Aug. 26, 2023 wedding to wife Kristi “was a resounding success,” planner Emer Timmons said in her Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit against him.
Timmons spent months planning the luxe event at Blois Cathedral in Blois, France, about two hours south of Paris, shelling out for eight “personalized kimonos for [a] bachelorette spa experience,” horse outriders, musicians, tents, a barbecue — and a Cadillac for the big day, she said in court papers.
“Emer was complimented by many guests as well as by Guggenheim’s new wife,” Timmons said in the complaint.
Kristi Hoerle-Guggenheim’s spouse also offered glowing reviews of her big day on Instagram, posting a photo of herself and Hoerle-Guggenheim in their wedding attire, kissing, surrounded by white flower petals on the ground.
“Best day of my life with the love of my life and #twinflame,” she wrote in the post.
Hoerle-Guggenheim and Timmons allegedly agreed he would repay her $300,000 three weeks after the wedding, and put up $2 million in art as collateral. The artworks were not specified in court papers.
Days before he tied the knot, Hoerle-Guggenheim, swore he’d send Timmons cash, she said in the lawsuit.
“You’ll receive $250K today,” he allegedly told her in a WhatsApp message.
But neither the money nor the collateral arrived, she said in court papers.
“Guggenheim either did not wire any monies to Emer or cancelled any wires he had previously authorized, with the result that Emer received no wire of funds from Guggenheim,” she contended in the litigation, adding, “Guggenheim does not have ownership or possession of any of the Collateral.”
Hoerle-Guggenheim claims to be related, through his maternal grandfather, to the family whose name is on the Guggenheim Museum.
Hoerle-Guggenheim has been repeatedly accused of stiffing artists and art buyers, claims he’s denied.
In 2019 he was sued in California by art buyers who claimed they forked over $600,000 for Hoerle-Guggenheim to buy them works by French Impressionist Pierre-August Renoir and modern artists RETNA and Ceve, but got nothing in return.
The buyers were awarded more than $200,000 by a judge in December 2019, court records show.
A lawyer for Hoerle-Guggenheim pledged to counter-sue Timmons in the wedding dispute.
“There is a lot more to this case. The truth will come out in court. My client looks forward to not only vigorously defending these claims, but also moving forward with counterclaims. Stay tuned,” attorney Daniel S. Kokhba said in a statement.