Woman who sued Alpine Country Club waiter over wine spilled on $30K handbag not backing down

The woman suing the Alpine Country Club after a club waiter spilled wine on her $30,000 Hermès handbag is not backing down, even after her case was dismissed by a Bergen County Superior Court judge.

Maryana Beyder, in the lawsuit filed in November that attracted local and national media attention, said she was enjoying a meal at the Alpine Country Club in Demarest in September 2018 when a waiter spilled red wine on the pink luxury handbag that Beyder said costs approximately $30,000.

The lawsuit was dismissed on July 24 by Judge Estela De La Cruz after Kenneth Merber, the attorney representing the club, said Beyder and her husband failed to appear at depositions despite notices and a subpoena. He also told the judge she didn't cooperate with the discovery process. 

However, the judge dismissed the case “without prejudice,” which allowed Beyder’s attorney, Alexandra Errico, to file a motion to reinstate the suit on Tuesday.

Errico in her filing refuted Merber’s reasons for dismissal, saying that her office had sent Merber on July 9 her client’s answers for discovery along with "two expert reports and email exchange" between Alpine Country Club President David Graf and Beyder. Errico did not respond to a request for comment. 

Coronavirus:Large outdoor party at Alpine home gets police response, scolding by Murphy

Opinion:We should be embarrassed by the lawsuit over the $30K handbag at Alpine Country Club

A decision on Errico’s motion to reinstate the lawsuit is scheduled for Aug. 28

In an interview with NorthJersey.com last year, Errico said the lawsuit, which blamed the unidentified waiter and the country club for "negligent hiring" of the waiter, came about after Beyder spent nearly a year trying to resolve the issue with the country club directly.

"They couldn't comprehend that a bag could be that much. I think that was the biggest problem with that. They kind of discriminated against her that she actually owned that type of bag,” Errico said.

Hermès handbags are often priced in the tens of thousands, with one sold in Hong Kong in 2017 for $377,000, breaking the world record for the most expensive bag sold at auction.

Merber did not return a phone call for comment. A phone message left at the Alpine Country Club was not returned.

Ricardo Kaulessar is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com Twitter: @ricardokaul