Influencer Caroline Calloway Owes $40K In Rent: Village Landlord

WEST VILLAGE, NY — An Instagram celebrity who made headlines this month simply by moving out of her West Village apartment failed to mention one detail, her landlord says in a new civil suit: Caroline Calloway didn't pay her rent.

The West Village influencer stands accused of skipping out on about $40,000 worth of rent for her apartment at 205 West 13th St., according to the complaint filed in New York Supreme Court Thursday.

The landlord also accuses Calloway of trying to illegally sublet her apartment to Rachel Rabbit White — a poet and former escort notorious for wild sex parties — and Nico Walker, a formerly incarcerated author who is portrayed by Tom Holland in the 2021 movie adaptation of his novel, "Cherry."

White and Walker make an appearance in Curbed's March 7 article, "Caroline Calloway Moves Out of Her Apartment," when they received the keys from Calloway.

"Around 3 a.m., I leave Rachel curled in a ball on the bed next to the cat, curled up in the same position. At 5:45 p.m. the next day, Rachel meets Caroline again before her flight, and she hands over the keys to the apartment so that Rachel can move in (the subsequent heavy-duty clean-up was documented on Instagram)."

Calloway never sought permission to sublet her apartment, and the four people accused of living in it never got permission from the building's owner to do so, the complaint contends.

Walker reached out to Patch to say that the building's ownership company was aware that White was moving in, but issues arose with management after Calloway moved her items out unexpectedly.

In the days after Calloway vacated the space, White chose to move out after seeing that her friend's residence in the building had become an "unwanted circumstance," Walker said.

Walker added that he also was never living there and had just happened to be in the city for work.

In terms of the rent payment, Walker says that White paid $2,900 to the building's ownership, and sent Patch a receipt of a text he says shows the landlord telling White where to send the check and a photo of the paystub of the sent check.

According to the lawsuit from 205 West 13th Street LLC, the owner of the building never "accepted rent" from any of the defendants, including White.

Calloway has not paid her $2,714-a-month rent in full since September 2020 and owed $40,844.56 in rent as of March 1, the suit states.

Patch messaged Calloway on Instagram and was unable to reach her by telephone. Her personal website appears to be out of service.

Calloway, who has lived at 205 West 13th Street since 2011, has 663,000 followers on Instagram and is primarily famous for her internet presence.

The article from Curbed details Calloways last snake oil, wine-fueled, puzzle doing nights in her Lower Manhattan home. But the building's owner isn't quite as laid back about her decision to leave for Florida.

On March 1, six days before the Curbed article was published, Calloway unexpectedly emptied out all the furniture from the apartment, leaving the space completely vacant, according to the suit.

Calloway, though, never returned her keys, the suit adds.

"Plaintiff (building owner) has already begun receiving complaints from other building tenants about noises coming from the premises since the current occupants unlawfully entered into possession," reads the suit.

"[The owner cannot] fulfill its obligations to other building tenants, occupants, or staff, to keep the building safe as long as these individuals continue to occupy and have access to the building."

Those unfamiliar with Calloway's Instagram feed may remember reading about her in The Cut, when her ghostwriter and ex-best friend spilled her side of the story on the Instagram personality's manipulative tendencies.

Calloway had lived in the rent-stabilized apartment since 2011, and had signed a lease renewal on August 30. 2021 through Sept. 1 of 2022, the suit states.

The landlord of 205 West 13th is asking the court for monetary damage in an amount to be determined at trial, but no less than $25,000.

The Curbed article details that one of Calloway's "greatest wishes" is that one day 205 West 13th Street will have a metal plaque next to the front door "commemorating her ten-year residence there."

Court records show the landlord may be less than willing to acquiesce.

This story was updated Friday at 6:50 p.m. to include comments from Nico Walker.