ART COURIER SUED AFTER LOSING $1.3 MILLION PAINTING

A NEW YORK ART COURIER IS BEING SUED AFTER HE LOST A $1.3 MILLION PAINTING FOLLOWING A DRUNKEN NIGHT OUT. JAMES HAGGERTY TOOK THE JEAN-BAPTISTE-CAMILLE COROT MASTERPIECE, 'PORTRAIT OF A GIRL', TO A MANHATTAN HOTEL ON 28.JULY SO THAT A POTENTIAL BUYER FROM LONDON COULD EXAMINE IT. BUT AFTER THE DEAL FELL THROUGH, HAGGERTY HIT THE BAR AT THE MARK HOTEL ON NEW YORK'S UPPER EAST SIDE. HE WAS LATER CAPTURED ON CCTV LEAVING THE HOTEL WITH THE PAINTING IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF 29.JULY. BUT THERE WAS NO SIGN OF THE PORTRAIT ON CAMERAS AT HIS MANHATTAN APARTMENT BUILDING WHEN HE GOT HOME NEARLY TWO HOURS LATER. AND THE NEXT MORNING, HAGGERTY TOLD THE PAINTING'S CO-OWNER THOMAS DOYLE HE COULD NOT RECALL THE WHEREABOUTS BECAUSE HE'D HAD TO MUCH TO DRINK. BUT DOYLE'S FELLOW OWNER KRISTYN TRUDGEON DOESN'T BELIEVE HIM AND NOW SHE HAS DECIDED TO SUE. 'I THINK HE'S A COMPLETE FUMBLING IDIOT', SHE TOLD THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. TRUDGEON IS SEEKING WHAT SHE SAYS IS ROUGHLY £840,000 VALUE OF THE PAINTING, WHICH SPENT YEARS IN THE COLLECTION OF THE HAMMER MUSEUM ON LOS ANGELES, ACCORDING TO A MUSEUM SPOKESMAN. THE OWNERS HAD HIRED HAGGERTY TO HELP WITH THE SALE OF THE PAINTING TO LONDON GALLERY OWNER OFFER WATERMAN. AN INITIAL APPOINTMENT ON 28.JULY FELL THROUGH, SO HAGGERTY TOOK THE PAINTING TO THE MARK, WHERE WATERMAN WAS STAYING SO HE COULD HAVE A CLOSER LOOK AT IT. ACCORDING TO PAPERS FILED AT MANHATTAN STATE COURT, HAGGERTY AND WATERMAN WENT TO THE CAR THEN RETURNED TO THE LOBBY. THEY RETRIEVED THE PAINTING FROM THE HOTEL'S FRONT DESK AND AFTER,A SHORT CONVERSATION, WATERMAN LEFT. THE GALLERY OWNER TOLD THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: 'SOMETHING JUST DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT AND I DIDN'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED. SO I SAID NO, AND I SAD GOODBYE.' HAGGERTY RETURNED TO THE BAR AND ONCE MORE DEPOSITED THE PAINTING AT THE FRONT DESK. HE RESURFACED 90 MINUTES LATER, WHEN HE STUMBLED OUT WITH THE PAINTING AND A DOORMAN ASKED IF HE NEEDED A TAXI. 'NO', HAGGERTY ALLEGEDLY SLURRED, 'I HAVE A CAR.' TWO HOURS LATER, THE PAINTING HAD DISAPPEARED.