North Carolina Man's 30-Year Castle Project Nearly Lost in Romance Scam Legal Battle
Robert Mihaly, a self-taught sculptor, spent 30 years building Castle Mont Rouge by hand on a mountaintop in North Carolina. After a brief romance with Julie Seel, met on Match.com in 2023, the pair quickly entered a joint business venture to turn the castle into an event venue. Seel lent $250,000 to the project under an informal agreement. When the romance soured, a two-year legal battle ensued. Seel sought a lien on the property to recover over $233,000 she spent on tools and labor, which could have forced Mihaly to sell. However, Durham County Superior Court Judge Josephine Kerr Davis dismissed both parties' claims before the jury reached a verdict. Court filings revealed Seel had been involved in similar litigation with three other men. Both sides suffered significant financial and reputational damage from the scorched-earth legal fight.
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