On a now-defunct website that advertised rentals of Chateau des Palmiers, Tomisue Hilbert noted that guests included “many of the NBA’s greatest stars and some of the world’s most powerful people, including Donald Trump” and “many Hollywood celebrities.”
Around 2010, the Hilberts began trying to sell the St. Martin retreat, initially seeking $29 million, according to court records. Three years later, it was still on the market, and the asking price was down to $19.7 million.
Around the same time, Hilbert’s legal battle erupted with billionaire John Menard, the founder of a home-improvement store chain who had partnered with Hilbert on an investment fund. Caught in the middle was Melania Trump’s skin-care line, which Hilbert had licensed through a company financed by the Menard fund.
In the late summer of 2013, shortly before Melania Trump was deposed in the case, Donald Trump purchased the St. Martin estate, according to court records.
“Because of the horrible position that this unfounded ridiculous litigation has put us into, we had to sell the home,” Hilbert testified in federal court, according to a transcript. “So I went to Donald and asked if he would buy it.”
Neither Hilbert nor Menard responded to requests for comment.
Donald Trump proudly announced his new purchase in an email to Trump Organization clients, calling it “the jewel in St. Martin’s crown” and offering it for weekly rentals, according to a copy of his message included in legal filings.
“By all accounts Le Chateau des Palmiers is considered to be one of the greatest mansions in the world,” he wrote.