Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet withdraws lawsuit against ex Erik Torstensson
Fashion industry’s high-profile dispute ends as both sides drop all legal proceedings, according to statements.
Natalie Massenet, the founder of Net-a-Porter, has withdrawn a high-profile lawsuit against her former partner Erik Torstensson, ending a legal battle that had turned heads in the fashion world.
Los Angeles County Superior Court records show the California civil case was voluntarily dismissed, and reps for the two sides told Page Six that all litigation between them has been withdrawn. The exes also reportedly ended a New York family-law matter referenced in court filings. In a statement provided exclusively to Page Six, representatives said, “The parties are pleased that all of the unfortunate litigation between them has been withdrawn.”
Massenet, 60, founded Net-a-Porter in 2000 and later became co-founder of venture capital firm Imaginary Ventures. She sold her majority stake in Net-a-Porter for an estimated $76 million and remained on as executive chairman after the sale. Her personal life and business trajectory have been intertwined with Torstensson since they began dating around 2009, years after she split from her first husband in 2011. The pair emerged as fashion’s power couple, with Torstensson later launching the denim line Frame in 2012.
According to the now-withdrawn California filing, the suit contained serious allegations, including claims that Torstensson was a major spender who chartered jets and purchased art, and that he ended their romantic relationship in 2024 in what the filing described as a “shocking and traumatic” twist. The document claimed Torstensson checked into a treatment center, and that Massenet discovered an earlier phone containing explicit texts and photographs allegedly showing multiple affairs with younger women over the years. The Post reported that Massenet claimed she had poured more than $95 million into supporting his ventures while he engaged in drug use and infidelity.
The divorce-era drama shocked fashion circles, with Tatler once describing the couple as must-invite guests at any house party. The two had a child together via surrogacy in 2017, and Massenet has two daughters from a previous marriage. The New York Post reported that Massenet’s lawsuit included claims of fraud, breach of contract, and causing her emotional distress, among others."
Neither party has commented further beyond the joint statement.
The withdrawal ends one of fashion’s most scrutinized personal-business sagas, a tale that intertwined two influential labels—Net-a-Porter and Frame—with a social scene that included designers and supermodels. While the public details remain sparse, industry observers note that the case’s resolution may remove a highly visible distraction from Massenet’s broader entrepreneurial agenda, including her ongoing involvement in Imaginary Ventures and related fashion-tech initiatives.
