The Hamptons Private Club That Couldn’t Stay Quiet

At Devon Yacht Club, a fight over a $35 million renovation has turned one of the Hamptons’ most discreet institutions into a very public dispute. Push Back over a Pricey Renovation

According to a NY Post story, a group of longtime members sued the club and its board, claiming they were pushed out after opposing a pricey renovation plan, pegged at $35 million. Their complaint reads less like a typical dispute and more like a story of a system straining under pressure—once disagreement surfaced, it was hard to keep it quiet.

The controversial project, called the Long Range Plan, aimed to modernize the club. But upgrades rarely go smoothly in places that prize tradition.

Over the years, some members started raising red flags about how much it would cost, the timing, and what shutting down key parts of the club for multiple seasons would mean. They got organized, wrote petitions, and spoke up during meetings.

That alone was a big change. Devon wasn’t really known for anybody openly pushing back.

By late 2025, about 41% of voting members were against the plan—almost all the people allowed to vote had weighed in. For a club that usually ran on quiet agreement, having that much opposition was unusual. It didn’t stop the project, but shook up the assumption that everyone was on the same page.

According to the lawsuit, what happened next was a disciplinary process that moved fast and, from the plaintiffs’ point of view, wasn’t fair. They talk about hearings with vague charges, little notice, and shifting accusations that made it tough to defend themselves. Two members ended up expelled, and even though their spouses weren’t accused of anything, they also lost membership. The lawsuit calls that a kind of punishment by association, not official policy.

An Eye for an Eye?

Perhaps the most talked-about detail is one claim that a board member, upset by a critical email, threatened to gouge out the sender’s eyes. That kind of language is not usually heard in yacht clubs, which is probably why it stuck in people’s minds. Whether or not it’s key to the case, it shows just how quickly calm can break down when an institution that’s never faced serious pushback suddenly does.

Legacy, Privacy, and Pressure

The club’s leadership hasn’t shared a detailed public response, but the bigger picture is familiar. Private clubs and long-standing institutions, especially in pricey spots like the Hamptons, are feeling growing pressure to improve, expand, and compete harder. But that clashes with members who see themselves less as customers and more as guardians of the club’s legacy.

At Devon, that clash has now spilled outside the clubhouse walls. The members suing want to be reinstated; they are seeking financial compensation for damage to their reputation and emotional hurt, and want some board members removed for what they call bad-faith actions.

Beneath all the legal talk is a deeper question: what happens when a private club, built on keeping things discreet and unified, can’t count on either anymore?

For now, the answer is unfolding in court.

And for a place that’s spent generations avoiding the spotlight, that might be the biggest change of all.