An alleged serial squatter said to have terrorized Malibu homeowners by exploiting California’s tenant-friendly rental laws is now the subject of a new Hulu docuseries. Ellie Mae McNulty has faced years of complaints from residents who say she charmed her way into their homes and then would not leave, Fox News reported. She has denied the central accusations against her.
McNulty appears in the second episode of Hulu’s six-part series “Squatters: Get the F*** Out of My House,” titled “The Paradise of Malibu.” Produced by ABC News Studios, it began streaming June 3. She is a British actress and screenwriter, depicted as a houseguest who moved in and then would not go.
At the center of it all is a feature of California law. Guests can gain tenant rights after staying for a certain period, even when they pay no rent. That can make it slow and difficult for homeowners to force the person out.
Among those who say they were targeted is Alden Marin, an artist and stage IV cancer patient. Marin let her stay at his home in the fall of 2021 after she said she needed only a few days while her own place was finished, according to Vanity Fair. That visit stretched into a month, and her manner toward him hardened, the magazine reported.
Inside the Marin Case
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The situation deteriorated rather quickly. McNulty allegedly used Marin’s credit cards. Then, while he was hospitalized, she had the locks changed. She’s also said to have flushed cloth napkins down a toilet, clogging the pipes, and to have demanded as much as $20,000 to move out.
Mindy Marin, Alden’s sister, said McNulty had preyed on her brother at his most vulnerable. She described him to Vanity Fair as “a kind of perfect storm.” He took her to court in 2022, and a judge ordered her to vacate. McNulty has since disputed his account, saying he actually changed the locks while her belongings were still inside.
A Pattern Going Back Two Decades
The Marin matter proved to be one of many, the outlet reported. Mindy Marin later found more than 10 legal cases involving McNulty stretching back nearly 20 years. The most recent were tied to residents around Point Dume, the Malibu enclave at the heart of the show.
Her alleged victims also included an 80-something widow in Santa Monica and a yoga teacher who said she was left unpaid for rent and classes. Others accused her of using the state’s tenant protections to stretch out her stays. Fox News Digital said it had reached out to McNulty for comment, but it doesn’t appear she had replied at the time of publication. For now, the series has renewed attention on her and the laws her accusers say she turned against them.