Net‑a‑Porter Founder and Ex‑Partner Trade Accusations in Dual Court Filings
Natalie Massenet sued former boyfriend for fraud and breach of contract, alleging he lived a secret life; he has filed for custody and alleges she was a heavy drinker and drug user
Dame Natalie Massenet, the founder of luxury retailer Net‑a‑Porter, and her former partner Erik Torstensson are trading competing allegations in separate court actions after a relationship breakdown that their lawyers say has spilled into litigation.
Massenet, 60, filed a complaint in the Superior Court of Los Angeles last month alleging that Torstensson, 47, deceived her, lived a double life of "rampant" drug use, used prostitutes and maintained multiple affairs, and that she spent more than $95 million on properties, lifestyle expenses and investments during the course of their relationship based on promises he would repay her. Torstensson, the Swedish entrepreneur who founded denim brand Frame, has responded by filing a child custody action in the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan for the couple's seven‑year‑old son, alleging Massenet was an unfit parent and that she used drugs regularly and drank heavily.
Massenet's Los Angeles lawsuit seeks damages for breach of contract, fraud and infliction of emotional distress, alleging Torstensson persuaded her to provide capital, access and endorsements to build his businesses and social cachet while failing to honor agreements to share returns. The complaint says he "seduced" her to gain access to A‑list contacts and that she backed investments and purchases that she was told would produce shared financial gains.
According to the complaint, trouble emerged in 2024 when Massenet noticed Torstensson disappearing at night and drinking heavily. Her lawyers say she discovered messages and photographs indicating he had maintained multiple affairs for years and that he hired sex workers in Los Angeles, London and New York while traveling for work. The papers include screenshots that Massenet's team says are texts between Torstensson and a sex worker and between Torstensson and a drug supplier. The complaint also alleges Torstensson acknowledged to Massenet that he was a "liar, an alcoholic, a drug addict, a sex addict" and that the conduct had continued for seven years.
Massenet's filings say she invested in property purchases and financed an elevated lifestyle in reliance on Torstensson's promises, and that she suffered severe emotional distress requiring intensive therapy and time away from work. The complaint says one sex worker was hired days after the couple celebrated an embryo being implanted with a surrogate.
Torstensson's New York filing counters with allegations that Massenet regularly used illegal drugs, "ingested alcoholic beverages heavily," exerted control over him and was capable of violent outbursts. According to his court papers, he was the primary caregiver for the couple's son and sought custody on the grounds that Massenet's conduct made her incapable of providing responsible care. The filing also alleges Massenet once overdosed on MDMA at the Glastonbury festival and that she would "lash out physically," assertions that Torstensson describes as relevant to the child's welfare.
Torstensson's documents include his own narrative of the relationship, saying it began on a 2009 flight to Milan and recounting intimate encounters, sometimes in circumstances he says involved Massenet's children from a prior marriage. He also maintains that he spent more than $20 million financing their shared lifestyle and that publicity from the relationship distracted from his work.
A spokesperson for Massenet described Torstensson's custody filing as "an improper use" of the court process and called it "nothing more than a vindictive smear campaign in response to Natalie's claim against him." Torstensson's lawyer, Bonnie Eskenazi, has characterized Massenet's lawsuit as "vengeful and obviously meritless," according to court reporting.
Both sides have presented allegations drawn from private messages, medical items and witness descriptions. Massenet's complaint points to a bottle of medication she says Torstensson misrepresented as treatment for hives that was actually prescribed for herpes, and to text messages allegedly showing him arranging encounters and procurement of drugs. Torstensson's filing includes accounts of his caregiving role and descriptions of Massenet's behavior that he contends undermine her fitness as a custodial parent.
The dispute casts a spotlight on personal and financial entanglements between two figures active in the fashion and retail sectors. Massenet, a former fashion journalist who founded Net‑a‑Porter and was made a Dame in 2016, has been prominent in international luxury retail. Torstensson co‑founded Frame, a denim and fashion brand that has relied on celebrity endorsements, which Massenet's suit says he secured in part through access to her social network.
Legal documents in both jurisdictions remain under review and the allegations have not been adjudicated. Massenet is seeking monetary relief in Los Angeles, asserting contractual and fiduciary claims, while Torstensson pursues custody of the child in Manhattan. Court schedules and next procedural steps were not disclosed in the filings made public by the parties.
The filings form a complex mix of personal accusations and business claims, and both sides say they maintain evidence to support their positions. Neither party has proved the allegations in court; the matters are subject to the respective courts' review and any further legal proceedings initiated by the parties.