A Bergen County country club has sued its own employee after a patron filed a lawsuit last month against the club and employee seeking $30,000 for the value of her handbag, which she claims was damaged in a red wine spill, court records show.

Maryana Beyder filed the lawsuit against the Alpine Country Club in Demarest alleging an unnamed waiter spilled the drink on her expensive Hermes handbag in September 2018 and that the club is at fault for its hiring practices.

The club filed a cross-claim last week against the employee involved in the incident.

“They did not need to sue their own employee,” said Beyder’s attorney, Alexandra Errico. “There was zero necessity. It’s just bad business.”

The county club’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

A worker with a Hermes Birkin bag at Vestiaire Collective's offices in Paris, March 11, 2015.The Plain Dealer

Hermes bags often are sold for thousands of dollars with the most expensive one currently listed at $13,000 on the Paris-based company’s website.

Beyder’s husband gave the bag to her on her 30th birthday as an investment, Errico said. The bag, she said, is irreplaceable because it has been discontinued.

Errico said her client tried to resolve the issue with the club and its insurance company in a year-long battle, but eventually stopped receiving responses. Finally, Errico said, Beyder was forced to bring the club to court.

“She didn’t wear it apple picking. She wore it to a very expensive country club where she was a member," Errico said. "If you bring your car to a country club and it gets scratched up, you expect the club to pay for it.”

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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