Celebrity developer Mohamed Hadid, father of models Gigi and Bella, in ugly battle over Bel-Air mega-mansion

Celebrity real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, father of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, is being sued by Bel-Air residents living downhill from the unfinished mansion that led him to be slapped with criminal charges.

Their goal: to force Hadid to tear down the building.

Hadid, known for his opulent homes and his stints on reality television, was accused by city prosecutors of illegally building a home bigger and taller than city rules allowed – estimated at roughly 30,000 square feet – and flouting repeated orders to halt construction.

Building permits were revoked for the towering home on Strada Vecchia Road. Prosecutors said it included whole areas, including bedrooms, decks and an IMAX theatre, that the city never approved. Last year, Hadid pleaded no contest to criminal charges, was sentenced to community service and fines and ordered to craft a plan to stabilise the hillside.

Hadid has turned in revised plans for the Bel-Air house, which are still under review with the building department, and says he is working to get approval for a smaller home that falls in line with current codes.

Now neighbours living downhill are suing him, contending that the city of Los Angeles has failed to enforce its own order, which demands that builders of the Bel-Air home either get city approval or tear down “all unauthorised, unapproved construction.”