Photo courtesy of Chatham Assessing Department
Copper Mill developer Andrew Flynn contested allegations of defrauding the former owners of a Cape Cod inn, stating the two sides were in discussions on restructuring a loan to assist in estate planning.
Boston-based Copper Mill acquired the Queen Anne Inn in Chatham for $10 million in 2025.
In June, former Queen Anne Inn owner Guenther Weinkopf filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court, claiming that Copper Mill missed several payments on a $7.75 million loan agreement with the sellers, and then sold the property to Milton-based Hajjar Management for $8.2 million in November.
The lawsuit claims breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, unjust enrichment, violation of Massachusetts’ Consumer Protection Act and fraudulent conveyance.
In a response filed this week by attorney Stephen Rider of Hingham, Flynn disputed the lawsuit’s characterization of events.
Around November 2025, representatives of the previous owners approached Flynn and asked that the loan be restructured to minimize taxes and assist in estate planning, it states.
After discussions, the plaintiffs allegedly asked Flynn to suspend further payments until an agreement on the restructuring.
“Plaintiff’s representatives stated more than once they did not want to receive any payments after Dec. 31, 2025, which would require them to make tax payments,” the filing states.
In April 2026, Flynn and the previous owners’ representatives had further talks about restructuring payments, it states, and Flynn presented several plans for discussion.
The response acknowledges that Flynn sold the property “as he had every legal right to do,” and “the plaintiff had no legal right or interest in the property or any of the proceeds therefrom.”
Boston-based Copper Mill submitted plans to MassHousing last winter for an apartment tower in Somerville’s Davis Square, where it has an option to purchase a block of retail properties at the corner of Elm and Grove streets.
The 502-unit project has prompted opposition from some neighborhood residents, and support for a high-density housing development near an MBTA Red Line station.
In July, Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson told Banker & Tradesman he wants Copper Mill to “show their work” and explain why the project requires the height and density that was proposed.
Somerville also is restarting its Davis Square Neighborhood Plan, a community land-use study that could serve as a template for future development in the neighborhood. A walking tour is scheduled for Sept. 10.
Flynn’s Copper Mill also has approval to build two 18-story towers containing 754 apartments on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester.
