A $60K-per-month Bel Air rental marketed as an “ideal self-care setting” seemed like the perfect place for New Orleans Saints’ wide receiver Michael Thomas to recover from his career-threatening ankle injury last September.
But what sounded like a 9,800-square-foot luxury dream turned out to be a renter’s nightmare, the NFL wide receiver — who underwent surgery to repair ligaments in June — claims in a new lawsuit, according to recent reports.
During the 28-year-old’s February and March stay, the six-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom home had malfunctions relating to the pool, garage doors and kitchen appliances, he alleged.
On top of that, the landlord’s unnamed representative allegedly repeatedly showed up unannounced, which is illegal in the state of California.
The landlord — who did not respond to The Post’s request for comment — refused to give back Thomas’ $60,000 security deposit, TMZ reported of the lawsuit. The Post could not independently acquire a copy of the complaint, but TMZ claimed the NFL star is suing for breach of lease and asking for $1 million in damages. Even though he only paid $180,000 (for the two months and the security deposit), he said the damage to his professional life was more severe, as he attempted to recover from a September 2020 ankle injury, according to the outlet.
Thomas is expected to miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery on his ankle ligaments in June, according to the NFL. The New Orleans Saints press office declined to comment and Thomas’ representative did not reply to a request for comment.
The two-time reception leader has career totals of 510 receptions, 5,950 yards and 32 touchdowns in five seasons, The Post has previously reported. He was selected to First-Team All-Pro honors in 2018 and 2019, as well as three Pro Bowls. In short: He’s big loss for the Saints, who are trying to find their offensive identity in the post-Brees era of New Orleans.
The injured athlete’s rental certainly promised luxury living conducive to his physical therapy and training. The smart home designed by Frank Gehry, CHACOL, has an open-floor-plan great room, a kitchen, a dining room and a living room, plus four fireplaces, Reynaers automatic doors and windows, Aran Cucine cabinets and so-called professional grade appliances across two floors.
The .33-acre lot has city and ocean views from its al fresco dining areas, outdoor fireplace, lap pool, spa and infinity pool. It also offers a two-car garage.
The lower level “ideal self-care setting” includes a walk-in wine cellar, an expansive theater with wet bar, a spa, a gym, an indoor pool and a living wall, according to listing materials.
While the landlord didn’t respond to a request for comment, he has given plenty of information about the property in other lawsuits.
The full-time physician bought the property for $4.35 million in 2014 and spent several more million on construction before the home was completed 2017.
The mortgage was $33,000 a month and taxes were $6,000 a month, he said in a separate lawsuit. The property’s taxes were delinquent at the Los Angeles assessor’s office’s most recent record update.
Unable to sell the investment property, the landlord rented it out via a broker who kept $248,000 in clients’ payments for himself, he alleged in a separate lawsuit before Thomas rented the property.
“I was and continue to be very emotionally invested in the home,” he wrote in the previous lawsuit. “I am no[w] extremely cynical, distrusting and somewhat curt with prospective business partners. This is not my personality and I have not acted like this in the pa[s]t.”
It is unclear if the landlord still owns the property or simply transferred it to another
LLC, but Realtor.com shows that the property was sold for $5.36 million in July after the owner originally asked $19.5 million in 2018.
