Last week, the Dallas commercial real estate community was rocked by news reports that Dunhill Partners founder Bill Hutchinson, a 63-year-old Highland Park resident and grandfather, was arrested amid accusations that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in his Park Cities home. In the latest developments of this ongoing story, Hutchison faces other allegations in California and pled not guilty to allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl at his Orange County vacation home while she was unconscious.
Hutchinson is the star of the reality TV show Marrying Millions — a show that plays on the relationship Hutchinson has with his 23-year-old fiance. TMZ broke the news at 8:36 a.m., Pacific time.
Hutchinson strongly denied the charges. In a statement provided to TMZ, he said “I’m innocent of this charge and accusation. Anyone who knows me in this city knows that I am not capable of assault, sexual or otherwise. Hopefully, all of my colleagues and friends will give me the benefit of the doubt until I prove my innocence in court.”
After his arrest in Highland Park on Tuesday, Hutchinson faced similar allegations for assault and the rape of two 16-year-old girls in California, where he owns a home in Laguna Beach.
Hutchinson also refutes those accusations.
Hutchinson’s attorney, Dan Hagood, says his client “absolutely denies the charges that have been leveled against him” and that he hopes to prove that he is not just not guilty, but innocent of the charges. He said Hutchinson would turn himself in on the new charges in California.” The Orange County Register claims that If Hutchison is convicted, he faces up to 8 years in state prison plus two-and-a-half years in county jail.
Another young woman has stepped up with a million-dollar lawsuit, too.
The college student says that in June of 2020, Hutchinson arranged for her to be driven more than 100 miles from her home to meet him at the Virgin Hotel in Dallas, which his company developed and in which Hutchinson has part ownership.
The woman says she had contacted Hutchinson for career advice — Hutchinson is credited with the success of the Dallas Design District, which he acquired in 2014, and for bringing the Virgin Hotel to Dallas (he is a general partner).
The woman, “Jane Doe”, apparently also shared with him details of her personal life — certain hardships she says he exploited.
She says that he gave her alcoholic drinks without confirming whether she was old enough to legally drink and then, after she became intoxicated, took her to a nearby apartment.
The lawsuit says Hutchinson pulled the woman onto a bed, placed her hand on his penis and groped her, despite her repeatedly telling him “no.” She eventually was able to fight him off, the lawsuit says.
In a 14-second video shared by the woman’s attorneys, a woman is heard saying, “Bill, get off of me,” and accusing him of holding her.
“Are you a virgin?” the man asks. “Just tell me.”
The woman is seeking one million in damages, and she sued Dunhill Partners as well as Virgin Hotels Dallas.
The lawsuit (filed in Dallas County District Court on July) accuses Hutchinson of assault, battery, kidnapping and false imprisonment. It also claims Dunhill Partners and Virgin Hotels Dallas were negligent in protecting the woman from Hutchinson because they were aware of his previous behavior.
“Hutchinson assaulted our client while she was intoxicated, although she clearly rejected Hutchinson’s advances both in messages and in person,” attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel said in a written statement.
The lawsuit was filed in Dallas County district court July 9, almost 24 hours after TMZ first reported Hutchinson’s Highland Park arrest.
Realtor.com reported that one of Hutchinson’s many properties, a Carmel, California paradise-by-the-sea, is on the market with an asking price of $9.5 million. However, a spokesperson for Mr. Hutchinson says the hope has been under a lease/option purchase for approximately eight years, which has nothing to do with the allegations.
Spanish Revival in Carmel Highlands
The home is a Spanish revival, typical of the area. Realtor.com says Hutchinson purchased the residence in 2005 for $2.21 million. The four-bedroom, 4,730-square-foot home on 3.1 hillside acres has a prestigious history. It was conceived by the artist John O’Shea as one of the first homes in the new subdivision known as Carmel Highlands, built in 1929.
The coastal escape has since been completely renovated, perhaps explaining in part the massive price increase from the last time it came on the market. It’s described as “flawlessly crafted to entertain friends and family or escape to your own private paradise by the sea.”
Updates include floors with radiant heat and a gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances such as a La Cornue range, as well as granite countertops and an island. The eat-in kitchen also includes a breakfast nook. A dining room with a candelabra provides a gathering space for more formal occasions.
A luxurious, ocean-view master suite includes a Turkish bath and spa with a large Jacuzzi, steam room, and waterfall shower, as well as a walk-in dry sauna.
The home has a family room, multiple fireplaces, plus vaulted and beamed ceilings. Like most California homes, there are ample outdoor spaces with limestone steps coming down the top of the hill, to a built-in barbecue, a fire pit, a basketball court, even a gated entrance for privacy.
Tim Allen Properties, Coldwell Banker, is the listing agent.
