That'll show her!
Posted on 07/16/2006 3:13:35 PM PDT by raccoonradio
NEW YORK - The doctor suspected of blowing up his town house rather than allowing his ex-wife to benefit from its sale has died, nearly a week after suffering critical injuries in the blast, a hospital spokeswoman said Sunday.
Dr. Nicholas Bartha, 66, died late Saturday, said Mary Halston, an administrator at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Police had been unable to speak to Bartha about the July 10 explosion because he was in a medically induced coma. Authorities have said they were investigating whether he might have caused it rather than sell the town house as part of a divorce judgment favoring his ex-wife.
Bartha's ex-wife, Cordula Bartha, told police she received an e-mail from him shortly before the explosion warning that she would be "transformed from gold digger to ash and rubbish digger."
"I always told you I will leave the house only if I am dead," the e-mail said.
Investigators have confirmed that someone tampered with a gas line leading into the home's basement, allowing vapors to flow for hours until it caused the building to blow up.
The physician, who lived and worked in the four-story landmark on Manhattan's upscale Upper East Side, was the lone occupant during the blast. It leveled the building and left the block covered in bricks, broken glass and splintered wood. At least 14 other people were injured, including 10 firefighters, authorities said.
Rescuers pulled the doctor from the rubble after hearing his calls.
The town house and land were worth nearly $6.4 million, according to the city's finance department. The property was to be sold at auction in October to pay a $4 million judgment against Bartha, though his ex-wife had predicted he wouldn't leave without a fight.
"He has said many times that he intends to 'die in my house,'" Cordula Bartha said in a petition filed last year.
The doctor was responsible for other implied threats against his ex-wife, according to court records.
A 2005 appellate court opinion said the doctor had "intentionally traumatized" Cordula Bartha, a Jew who was born in Nazi-occupied Holland, by posting "swastika-adorned articles and notes" around their home. The opinion also said Bartha had "ignored her need for support and assistance while she was undergoing surgery and treatment for breast cancer."
Cordula Bartha declined to comment on her ex-husband's death, said her attorney Polly Passonneau.
The man's next-door neighbors had sued him Friday, claiming the explosion damaged their cooperative apartment and forced them to leave it. A lawyer for the neighbors said Sunday that the lawsuit would proceed against Bartha's estate.
The lawsuit also names the Consolidated Edison utility as a defendant, accusing it of failing to have proper safety devices.
Con Ed has said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Ouch.
This has to be one bizzare story.
His rambling (and I do mean rambling) e-mail to news organizations was rather fascinating. On the one hand, the guy is a bit nuts. On the other hand, he has some good reasons to be. If you have an hour to kill, read this:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202916,00.html
Dumb question, what safety device would prevent deliberate tampering? And if it is deliberate tampering, why would the utility be liable?
.....the ironic thing is that I have heard on a few news reports that the land may be appraised at an even higher value since someone now does not have to demolish the old building to build a new condo, townhouses....etc...so in effect....he did his wife a favor....haha.....
That'll show her!
I'm curious also considering he physically opened the pipes up and rerouted them into the room. What do they really expect?
Their lawsuit against Con-Ed is just frivilous. Con-Ed ought to sue them back for harassment.
This is a wild story. Controlling little dink
Truly. What happened to him almost seems like cosmic justice.
Gotta admire that determination. He was a loon, but still quite determined.
Because ConEd has deep pockets.
Now the townhouse won't have to be sold....
Who says you can't take it with you? In some afterlife, he may still be enjoying all the amenities of life as he once knew it.
Without a spouse he claimed to despise.
This just has to be a win-win all around.
The question almost answers itself.
Because Con Ed has more money, doncha see.
I doubt his wife and family will see a penny after all the lawsuits have been filed and/or settled.
Let's see, the house insurance won't pay (arson clause, no doubt). His life insurance probably won't pay either (suicide clause). Can't sell the lot (it's a crime scene now), and the neighbors are suing. Too bad he's not around to enjoy it...
Con ed may have deep pockets, but shouldn't the suit against them be laughed out of court as unjustifiable?
He got what he wanted. He screwed his ex and her kids out of the family fortune.
some greedy ex-wives no know no end in wanting everything no matter the length of the marriage . I hope he finds peace in the next life, he had lived in this home for years and before that his parents; there were many good memories of his parents and others. I hope she gets nothing else but grief and a black cloud following her around.
Insurance suicide clauses are usually time-limited. Suicides are usually covered if the policy has been in effect for 2-5 years.
This guy really shows how selfish suicides usually are. This guy must have had a charming bedside manner.
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