The Strange Case of Frankenstein's Castle
We would like to tell you one of the weirdest title and escrow tales in Stewart’s history. It may thrill you. (Possibly.) It may even horrify you. (Unlikely.) And if you find yourself quivering beneath the covers, well…check your thermostat setting.
Scroll down for the full story including our documentary videos and documents from the transactions.
While Stewart is famed for tracing down title transactions across many states and even many nations, we’ve never seen anything quite like the case that arrived recently at our Magical Lands Title Association division. Below you can see the initial email from the listing agent to MaLTA:
https://www.stewart.com/content/dam/stewart/blog/fragments/2023/10/halloween/frankenstein-email-1_01.pdf
Email from Erik Leroux to Marty Bishop
This led to a series of text messages between Marty Bishop, Erik Leroux and the client, Marie Monstre. Here’s a screen capture of that conversation.
https://www.stewart.com/content/dam/stewart/blog/fragments/2023/10/halloween/frankenstein-dm.pdf
Text messages between Marie, Erik and Marty
That same day, Marie forwarded a letter from an obscure Swiss lawyer to Marty. The message was stark, as you can see.
https://www.stewart.com/content/dam/stewart/blog/fragments/2023/10/halloween/attorney-letter.pdf
Letter from Igor’s lawyer
Since Igor claimed adverse possession as his claim to ownership, a trial was held to determine rightful title. Igor was unable to say anything much beyond, “My land. My castle.” He produced no documentation of any kind that the castle was his – not even a tax receipt. No witnesses appeared to corroborate that Igor ever occupied the property. The judge, who had little patience for these shenanigans, dismissed the suit at once and ordered Igor to buy some body wash.
Back at Stewart, Chief Underwriter Jutta Deeney had made an important determination. Before the sale of Frankenstein’s castle could proceed, there was a nightmarish tangle to unravel. All the descendants of the people whose body parts were used in the creation of Frank Monstre (a.k.a. Frankenstein's Monster) needed to be located and agree to sign over any rights to he property, as Jutta explains in the email below.
https://www.stewart.com/content/dam/stewart/blog/fragments/2023/10/halloween/frankenstein-email-1_02.pdf
Email to cemetery caretaker for assistance tracking down body parts
https://www.stewart.com/content/dam/stewart/blog/fragments/2023/10/halloween/258600-23_SISCO_Halloween_Frank_Bride_iPDF.pdf
Interactive PDF Best viewed on Chrome browser or download to desktop.
https://www.stewart.com/content/dam/stewart/blog/fragments/2023/10/halloween/frankenstein-email-1_03.pdf
Email from Marty to Erik, Marie and genealogist tracking down body parts donors
If tracking down all these components sounds complicated, it was. We won’t go into all the details of gruesome things like a lost foot or eyes of two different colors. Simply put, after obtaining permission from more than 600 donors spanning almost three centuries and all seven continents (what do you suppose was kept in the deep freeze of Antarctica?), the impossible was done.
https://www.stewart.com/content/dam/stewart/blog/fragments/2023/10/halloween/frankenstein-email-1_04.pdf
Email from Marty to Erik confirming closing
Fast forward to the present day. Whatever became of these motley characters?
Marie Monstre is living happily in her London flat. Erik Leroux continues his Paris real estate practice and would particularly like to represent promising sopranos. Count Al Ucard is openly seeking donations to his cause, which is apparently a private blood bank. And Igor Courbe is operating a food truck somewhere on a beach in the south of France. His specialty is tortas de pollo.
See the Frankenstein’s Castle Title Policy
Stewart’s Documentary on Frankenstein’s Castle
We have created a short documentary about this bizarre saga, and it’s our pleasure to introduce you to some of the parties involved.