The multimillion-dollar Greenwood Village mansion was breathlessly described in sale advertisements.

An "exquisite new masterpiece by Aspen builder Mikel Mewbourn" that is "15,000 sq. ft. of elegance." A "4 horse property" with all the amenities, including a "dream kitchen," exercise room, sauna, wine cellar and "media/entertainment hall."

As the smoke cleared on the early morning fire that gutted the luxury home this month, court records revealed a real estate gamble that collapsed beneath the weight of bitter charges and countercharges.

Lawsuits have been filed against builder-developer Mewbourn and the mansion's 29-year- old owner, Denver Haslam, saying the project involved fraud, a "sham sale" and that Mewbourn diverted an investor's money for his personal use.

The builder's attorney, Randy E. Dunn, said Mewbourn denies all the allegations and has filed a countersuit against Peter Brody, a former business partner and investor in the project.

He declined further comment because of the ongoing litigation.

South Metro Fire Rescue and Greenwood Village police are conducting a joint investigation into the Nov. 6 fire but haven't neared a conclusion on what sparked the spectacular predawn blaze that collapsed large swaths of the mansion roof.

Investigators have not called the fire suspicious.

"It's under investigation, and it's going to take awhile," South Metro Fire spokesman Andy Lyon said.

Built in 2006, the mansion at 5301 S. University Blvd. was listed for $8.2 million in April 2007. But as a flurry of legal challenges among investors, contractors and the developer mounted and as the real estate market soured, the price was cut to $5.9 million in June.

A Prudential Colorado Real Estate listing noted: "Motivated Seller, Will Consider Trade."

Never occupied

Neighbors say no one ever moved into the expansive property, which incorporated the structures of two existing homes in the exclusive suburb in Arapahoe County.

Three lawsuits focus on Mewbourn, who works out of his Aurora home, despite a listing for the mansion calling him an "Aspen builder." Mewbourn is not listed as a licensed contractor in Aspen or Pitkin County, according to the joint city-county database.

Another key defendant in the lawsuits is the mansion's listed owner, Haslam, whose survival after a near-deadly skiing crash at Arapahoe Basin in 2003 became the subject of news stories and TV medical dramas.

Mewbourn and Haslam did not respond to the Rocky Mountain News' requests for comment.

In a lawsuit filed Jan.