The fiancé of a lacking California lady claims to have energy of legal professional in a lawsuit over boots

Lydia “Dia” Abrams went missing from her ranch near Idyllwild in June.

SAN DIEGO – The self-proclaimed fiancé of a woman who disappeared from her ranch near Idyllwild in June has filed a lawsuit claiming he has power of attorney over the woman’s estate.

Keith Harper, 71, filed a civil lawsuit in San Juan County, New Mexico on December 9th. He is seeking $ 3,020 in damages – including legal fees and interest – missing from Lydia “Dia” Abrams’ purchase of $ 2,000 boots prior to her departure.

Abrams, 65, a former La Jolla millionaire, went missing on June 6 at her 117-acre Bonita Vista Ranch in a remote area east of Mountain Center.

The lawsuit confirms earlier CBS News 8 reporting that Harper has assumed the office of trustee and claims authority to manage the estate.

The records indicate that two weeks before her disappearance, Abrams transferred ownership of her ranch along with two nearby properties to the adapted Dia Kenshalo Abrams Trust.

The written trust agreement was not made public.

Harper’s lawsuit seeks a refund from Scottsdale, Arizona from Boot Junky. Abrams was a frequent Boot Outlet customer, according to the lawsuit.

“Ms. Abrams ordered boots from Boot Junky but never took her order,” the company wrote in a December 18 motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

“The transaction took place in Scottsdale, Arizona. At the time, Ms. Abrams was living in California. Ms. Abrams has since disappeared and has been missing since June 6, 2020, ”the motion continued.

“Mr. Harper, the plaintiff, has since tried to get a refund from Boot Junky for the boots Ms. Abrams ordered. Mr. Harper was never involved in the Boot transaction that took place in Arizona,” the court records read .

Boot Junky owner Greg Swan argued in his response that the New Mexico court did not have jurisdiction over the transaction.

“In fact, no court in New Mexico would have jurisdiction over a transaction that took place between two non-New Mexico residents in Scottsdale, Arizona,” the response said.

San Juan district judge Stacey Biel filed a hearing on the motion on February 15, 2021 at 8 a.m., according to court records. Keith Harper is representing himself in the lawsuit.

B. Tell Ward, the Farmington, New Mexico attorney representing Boot Junky, told News 8 in a phone interview that Abrams’ purchase consisted of several women’s boots. The attorney said the lawsuit “does not have jurisdiction in New Mexico” because Harper filed it in the wrong state.

Harper previously told News 8 that he had lunch with Abrams at the ranch on the afternoon of June 6th. and last saw her around 2:30 p.m. when he went to mow the grass and do ranch work.

When Harper returned from his ranch work around 7:30 that evening, he said Abrams had disappeared. She’d left her cell phone, purse, and Ford truck behind.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Department is investigating Abrams’ disappearance as a missing person case, and investigators suspect a bad game, according to search warrants received on CBS News 8 in September.

Harper has not been identified as a suspect by law enforcement and has not responded to a message on News 8 asking for a comment on this report. Harper previously denied any involvement in Abram’s disappearance.