Insurance mogul and yacht owner Christopher Durnan was reportedly stunned when legal papers were finally served on him after he allegedly spent two months evading attorneys seeking to notify him of a lawsuit over the death of NYC fashion entrepreneur Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra.
Durnan allegedly sent lawyers on a frantic search across the East Coast before they located him in October — roughly one year after Nolan-O’Slatarra was found dead aboard his yacht at the upscale Montauk Yacht Club.
“Was surprised it took you so long,” Durnan reportedly told the process server after being handed the papers on Oct. 1, according to court documents filed Oct. 15 and reviewed by The Post.
Attorneys said Durnan was spotted leaving a residence in Lantana, Florida, then followed to a home in Jupiter. He was served outside that property at 12:07 p.m.
Durnan, believed to be the last person to see Nolan-O’Slatarra alive, is the target of a $50 million wrongful-death lawsuit filed by her estate.
The 33-year-old fashion designer, who was based in New York City, was found unresponsive, cold and bloodied by EMTs aboard Durnan’s vessel, which was docked at the Montauk Yacht Club on Aug. 5, 2025.
Her death was initially thought to have resulted from an accidental drug overdose. However, an independent autopsy detected only trace amounts of cocaine in her system.
A lawsuit first reported by The Post and filed in New York County Court on Aug. 4 — the anniversary of Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death — accuses Durnan of assault, negligence and gross negligence that allegedly contributed to her death.
The estate’s attorneys made repeated efforts to contact Durnan and serve him with a Summons of Notice, beginning Aug. 5, before finally locating him in South Florida three months later.
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Lawyers attempted to reach Durnan at three addresses linked to him: two on Long Island and another in the Catskills.
Beginning Aug. 26, attorneys and hired process servers made multiple visits but were unable to find and serve Durnan.
At a Garden City, Long Island, property whose deed has been held by Durnan since 2023, a process server encountered a star Ivy League lacrosse player. The individual refused to accept the summons and said it would only be lost if it were left on the stoop.
Investigators eventually traced Durnan to the Lantana residence, where two vehicles registered in his name were seen outside.
Two process servers and a private investigator tried at least 10 times to reach Durnan at the Florida property between Sept. 2 and Sept. 30. Each attempt ended without the insurance mogul being served.
According to the affidavit, Durnan mocked the length of the search when the summons was finally handed to him. The statement was first reported by the Irish Independent.
Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family has also created a tip line as part of a private investigation into her death, which remains an open case.
“The family of Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra and their legal team are seeking information that may help their investigation into her death in Montauk,” says MarthaTipline.com, a website established by attorney Michael Bowe of Brithem LLP.
“Brithem’s legal team continues to investigate and is asking anyone with information to come forward,” the site states.