A Durham County Superior Court judge threw out every claim brought by sculptor Robert Mihaly and his ex-partner Julie Seel, effectively ending a two-year legal war over the fate of Castle Mont Rouge. The dismissal came after two days of testimony in which both parties traded accusations about property ownership and financial contributions to the 60-foot, four-storey structure in Rougemont, Person County. Mihaly had argued Seel attempted to seize control of his life’s work, while Seel countered that Mihaly sought her $250,000 loan specifically to finish the build.
The structure itself is an anomaly in the North Carolina woods. Mihaly, a self-taught artist from Durham, started building the property in 2000 as a simple cabin. Floor by floor, the project ballooned into a 2,000-square-foot fairytale-style castle. For years, the abandoned building became a local curiosity, attracting ghost hunters, graffiti artists, and crews filming music videos and weddings.
The dispute ignited in 2023 when Mihaly met Seel on Match.com. Their relationship moved quickly from dating to a business partnership aimed at turning the castle into a vineyard and event destination. Seel provided the capital; Mihaly provided the site. When the romance collapsed, the finances did not. The couple went to court, each trying to prove the other had ulterior motives regarding the property’s title and usage rights.
For Mihaly, the court loss removes the legal cloud but does not solve the practical problem. He had hoped to have the venue ready for his daughter’s 16th birthday, a deadline that has now slipped past. With the legal ties severed, he faces the cost of finishing the project alone. The castle stands empty in the trees, waiting to see if its creator can turn a personal milestone into a public destination.