A New Jersey country club is suing one of its own staff members in response to a customer's lawsuit over the waiter spilling red wine on her Hermès purse.

Maryana Beyder filed her suit against the Alpine Country Club late last month, demanding $30,000 in damages for the soiled Hermès Kelly bag.

The club responded to the suit by denying any liability and casting it on the waiter in a move called a 'cross claim' - where one defendant sues another in the same case.

'Basically they're asking the employee to pay whatever they owe under the law to my client,' Beyder's attorney Alexandra Errico explained to NorthJersey.com.

The Alpine Country Club in Demarest, New Jersey, is suing one of its own staff members in response to a customer's lawsuit over the waiter spilling red wine on her Hermès purse

Maryana Beyder (pictured) filed her suit against the Alpine Country Club late last month, demanding $30,000 in damages for the soiled Hermès Kelly bag. The club responded to the suit in a court filing last Thursday by denying any liability and casting it on the waiter who accidentally spilled on Beyder while she was eating at the club in September 2018

The response, filed Thursday, is the latest development in a months-long bitter battle between Beyder and the Alpine Country Club.

Beyder was enjoying a meal at the club in Demarest on September 7, 2018, when a waiter, who has not been named, spilled red wine on her pink handbag, allegedly ruining it.

The plaintiff claimed in her lawsuit that the handbag was essentially irreplaceable as the style was discontinued.

She accused the exclusive club of being negligent when it employed the server - referred to as 'John Doe' in the suit.

Beyder's lawyer said she tried to sort out the matter with the country club directly for over a year, but the club stopped responding.

Errico acknowledged that the spill was an accident, and said the club should be held responsible.

'The way the story read is that somehow we're blaming the employee,' Errico said.

'We're not. Not at all. You go to any restaurant. You have a leather jacket on. 100 dollars. 50 dollars. 20 dollars. If a waiter spills on it and it's destroyed, you're expecting the restaurant to compensate you for that particular item.'

The attorney said an insurance company was also dismissive about Beyder's claim because they were surprised at the cost of the bag.

'It's sort of like a rich person problem. They couldn't comprehend that a bag could be that much. I think that was the biggest problem with that,' Errico said.

'They kind of discriminated against her that she actually owned that type of bag.'

Beyder said she tried to sort out the matter with the country club directly for over a year, but the club stopped responding, prompting her to file the lawsuit on October 29

The plaintiff claimed in her lawsuit that the pink handbag was essentially irreplaceable as the style was discontinued. The Hermès bags retail for tens of thousands of dollars (file photo)

Hermès bags retail for tens of thousands of dollars and are favored among celebrities including the Kardashians, Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez.

In June, a Niloticus crocodile diamond Birkin 35 sold for over $200,000 at Christie's in London.

The Hermès Himalaya niloticus crocodile Birkin 35 is named after actress Jane Birkin who, in 1983, sat next to Hermes' chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight.

When she complained about not being able to find a good leather weekend bag, he designed a versatile one for her to use.

Since it was introduced in 1986, the hugely popular design has been a hit with celebrities and collectors, including Victoria Beckham, who has a collection of more than 100 Birkins said to be worth nearly $2million (£1.5million).

The sale makes the bag the second-most expensive sold at auction in Europe, tied with a 2008 Hermes Himalaya Birkin bag which sold for the same price in June 2018. A Birkin 35 Togo can cost from $12,100 upwards.