At the height of her fame she wouldn ’ t get out of bed for less than $ 10,000 a day . But now Linda Evangelista is facing rather more prosaic money issues after getting embroiled in a row over who 's going to pay a $ 1.5 million ( £980,000 ) bill to repair the roof of her luxury Manhattan penthouse . The Canadian model and other occupiers of the top-floor units at the Spears Building in Chelsea are suing the owners of the apartment block over the demand they pay the full cost of the work . Linda Evangelista is in a dispute with the owners of the building in which she has her Manhattan penthouse over a $ 1.5 million bill to replace its roof . The Spears Building , where penthouse residents including Miss Evangelista want the cost of replacing the roof to be shared by all residents . It is in an area of Chelsea where some apartments go for as much as £5 million . In a lawsuit filed on Monday , Miss Evangelista and other fellow top floor residents charge that the owners of the building at 525 W. 22nd St intend to violate the condominium ’ s bylaws by landing them with the entire seven-figure cost . They argue the expense is supposed to be covered by the owners of all 30 units in the luxury loft complex in a wealthy neighbourhood where apartments cost as much as £5 million . The lawsuit says the owners got a legal opinion in 2011 that only those with private rooftop terraces on the sixth floor had to contribute anything towards the ongoing cost of maintaining the roof , but that residents of the entire building would be expected to put money towards a full replacement . Instead of carrying out the replacement then , the board started charging unit owners extra monthly fees to build up a fund to pay for it at later date , the lawsuit alleges . Canadian Miss Evangelista , 49 , was one of the original supermodels who ruled the catwalk in the 1990s . But the board reportedly decided last month to go back to the original plan and replace the roof but with penthouse residents only now expected to pay the entire cost , including financing . A formal vote on the proposals by the board is scheduled for Thursday night , but Miss Evangelista and other plaintiffs are seeking to postpone it . They want more information about the extent of the work needed so the penthouse owners can properly resolve the issue of who should pay for it . The group argue it is unacceptable how one of the penthouse owners was told he would have to cough up $ 177,000 ( £116,000 ) , minus $ 12,000 he had already paid into the roof maintenance fund . Miss Evangelista , 49 , who was born in Canada , was one of the group of supermodels who became famous in the 1990s for ruling the catwalk . She supposedly coined the phrase : ‘ We don ’ t get out of bed for less than $ 10,000 a day ’ which came to symbolise the high money , high fashion world they lived in . Her spokesman was not available for comment .
Supermodel and other top-floor Spears Building residents in joint lawsuit . Claim all 30 unit owners at Chelsea apartment complex should be liable . 525 W. 22nd St. Suite 100, New York, NY 10001