New York City Umbrella Lawsuit Called Frivolous

It’s a rainy day for the owner of an upscale Manhattan restaurant who filed a lawsuit against a supermodel over a damaged designer umbrella said to be worth $5,000.

State Supreme Court Justice Joan. A. Madden threw out the lawsuit on Friday, calling motions filed by the attorney on behalf of Nello Balan a “waste of judicial resources.” She fined Balan’s attorney $500 for filing a frivolous claim.

Balan sued supermodel Le Call for $1 million, claiming that he lent her a Jean-Paul (ZHON’-Pawl) Gaultier (GOL’-tee-yay)-designed umbrella — and that she returned it to him in two pieces.

Balan claimed emotional distress and said that the model had intentionally damaged the umbrella.

Attorneys for both sides have declined to comment.