UMVA has learned that a woman accused of terrorizing Malibu residents by exploiting California's tenant-friendly rental laws is now the focus of a new Hulu docuseries.
Ellie Mae McNulty, a British actress and screenwriter, is featured in episode 2 of Hulu's "Squatters: Get the F* Out of My House," titled "The Paradise of Malibu." The series exposes her alleged tactics of charming her way into homes, then refusing to leave.
According to information obtained by UMVA, McNulty's squatting spree included Alden Marin, an artist and stage IV cancer patient who let her stay at his home in the fall of 2021. She allegedly told Marin she only needed to crash for a few days while her own home was being finished, but her short stay stretched into a month.
During her stay, McNulty allegedly used Marin's credit cards, changed the locks while he was hospitalized, and flushed cloth napkins down the toilet, clogging the pipes. She also allegedly demanded as much as $20,000 to leave, leaving Marin to feel taken advantage of.
The sister of Marin, Mindy Marin, described McNulty as having an "actressy English thing" that allowed her to manipulate people, particularly men. McNulty, however, has disputed Marin's account, claiming he had the locks changed while her possessions were still inside the residence.
At the center of the issue are California's laws, which allow guests to be treated as tenants after a certain period of occupancy, making it difficult for homeowners to immediately remove unwanted houseguests. Marin ultimately took McNulty to court in 2022, and a judge ordered her to vacate.
Further investigation revealed that McNulty has a history of similar incidents, with over 10 legal cases dating back nearly two decades. Her alleged past victims include an 80-something Santa Monica widow, a yoga teacher, and others who claim she used California's tenant protections to drag out her stays.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that McNulty's actions have left a trail of devastation and frustration in her wake, with many left feeling helpless against her alleged manipulation and exploitation of the system.
