SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- A Santa Rosa man battling Parkinson's Disease took in a tenant at his home to help pay the bills, but that tenant turned out to be a nightmare. He also turned out to be the ex-boyfriend of fashion designer Calvin Klein.
The landlord asked the I-Team's Dan Noyes to look into the case after the tenant filed a big lawsuit. Nick Gruber got used to the spotlight as Calvin Klein's partner; they had a 48-year age difference. And, he had some very public controversies.
He agreed to talk to us about his criminal record and this latest complaint that he was a problem tenant. During the pandemic, Richard Jones and his husband, Alfonso Monreal, were looking for a roommate, someone to help pay the bills at their Santa Rosa home. Jones is battling Parkinson's Disease.
MORE: Illegal marijuana grow destroys Fremont couple's rental home Noyes: "You came to us to tell this story." Jones: "Yes, I did." Noyes: "Why?" Jones: "Because I don't want this to happen to anybody else, just take your - (cries).
" A friend introduced Jones and his husband to Gruber. He made a good first impression. "He seemed like a very nice guy," Jones said.
"He's young, single, so he said. He's just very polite." Monreal added, "I did my research, and I did a background check, and I was like, OK, Calvin Klein's ex-boytoy, ex-boyfriend.
" Gruber made frequent appearances in the tabloids after he started seeing Calvin Klein in 2010 - the fashion designer's first public same-sex relationship. Gru.