A divorce attorney for the husband of the late Irish designer Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra has notified a court of the designer’s death, Extra.ie can reveal.
Court documents obtained by Extra.ie show how Sam Ryan’s lawyer, David Centeno, filed the document with a New York court on August 6. Mr. Centeno was contacted for comment.
Carlow native Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra's unconscious body was discovered aboard the ‘Ripple’ private yacht in Montauk, an upmarket area of the Hamptons in New York, on Tuesday morning just after midnight (5 am Irish time).
Police said that preliminary investigations suggest that Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra did not suffer a violent death.
On Wednesday, a notice of her death had been filed by her husband’s attorney. He also requested that a judge be assigned to the case and proposed a financial settlement for the court.
Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra, 33, a fashion designer, moved to the US when she was 26. She founded the East x East fashion brand and launched a pop-up shop in Montauk just last month.
Suffolk County Police Department said that her body "did not show evidence of violence."
A police spokesperson said a preliminary examination of Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra's remains was "inconclusive" and that a cause of death is "pending further examination."
Her mother Elma has said she has no idea what happened to her daughter. Further tests will be carried out to determine exactly what happened to the high-flying designer.
In a tribute to the deceased, her business partner, Limerick man Dylan Grace, said: "She was a truly remarkable person, an amazing business partner and she will be forever in my heart. We are devastated by her passing.
"We dreamed big together, laughed harder than anyone else could understand, and built so much from nothing. I’m truly blessed and grateful to have had you in my life. Love you so much, Mar. Fly high girl."
Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra's social media profiles show a woman living her dream in the affluent Hamptons area of New York and dividing her time between Montauk and Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Her last TikTok video posted online showed her celebrating the opening of her brand’s pop-up shop on the beach in the Hamptons.
Between helicopter rides and private jets, Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra was cementing herself as one of the many successful young businesswomen in the area.
However, her heart was never too far from Ireland, and especially Carlow.
A TikTok video posted last year showed Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra walking in fields with the family sheepdog as well as taking selfies with livestock.
@martha_nolan Home for 2 Weeks 🤍 Loving some family time and the countryside 🌳 🐮🐎 . . . . #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #digitalnomad #smallbusinessowner #entrepreneur #ireland #greenorb #greenery #greeneryscreenery #farm #irishfarm #smallbusinesstiktok #fashionentrepreneur #creativedirectorlife #cowsoftiktok #countryside #wholesomesunday ♬ Little Life - Cordelia
However, despite the upbeat nature of her social media posts, the Carlow native had been involved in a legal dispute with a business associate.
In 2022, she was sued by the founder of Out East Accessories Inc., owned by Jeremy Valeda. A court filing states: "Defendant Martha Nolan [O'Slatarra] was a former employee of Out East, a company that specialises in the sale of its own branded sunglasses.
"[Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra] was terminated by Out East for cause in November 2021. In the weeks leading up to her termination and for months thereafter, Nolan ransacked Out East, stole all of its assets, and essentially destroyed the company."
In the filing, Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra and another person were accused of stealing the $34,000 (€29,000) remaining in Out East’s bank account, stealing all of Out East’s eyewear inventory, and selling or gifting the eyewear without authorisation, to enrich themselves at a total loss to the company.
She and her co-defendant strongly denied any wrongdoing. The case was settled a few months after it was filed.
Just weeks ago, Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra celebrated the grand opening of her East x East brand’s pop-up shop, located at Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa.
"Goals achieved," she wrote on a video of the shack housing her bikinis and beachwear shared on TikTok on July 1 as she encouraged the public to visit.
@martha_nolan Goals Achieved @East x East Visit our Pop Up at Gurneys in Montauk! #hamptons #mtk #hamptonspopup #mtkpopup #hamptonssummer #thehamptons #montauk #gurneys ♬ Just A Girl - No Doubt
Ms. Nolan-O'Slatarra was also appointed director of operations at K4 Capital Management, an investment management firm, in June last year.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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