LOS ANGELES (CN) - A film producer and a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills are embroiled in a legal tiff over a sports-theme gay bar.
Plaintiffs in the tangled, 38-page lawsuit in Superior Court are Lulu Restaurant Group, and Varsity Restaurant Group, and their owners Ryan Allen Carrillo and Andrew Gruver.
They sued the Professional Restaurant Group and five people, including movie producer/restaurateur Elie Samaha; "Real Housewives" actress Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd; Professional Restaurant Group managing member Freddy Braidy; and Edward Frumkes, who is described as the former president of Warner Bros. International Theatrical Distribution & Marketing.
In essence, the lawsuit claims that Samaha backed out on a deal to fund a sports-theme gay bar, allowing Vanderpump to snag the building for herself.
Samaha has produced dozens of films and video games since his Hollywood debut in 1995 with "The Immortals." His other production credits include "The Boondock Saints," "Battlefield Earth" and "Tristan & Isolde."
He also owned several night clubs, including the Roxbury and Grauman's Chinese Theater, according to the complaint.
Vanderpump and husband own 26 restaurants and bars, including Villa Blanca, which opened in 2009, and SUR in West Hollywood, according to her personal website.
The plaintiffs claim Samaha reneged on his agreement to invest in their restaurant and secure them a building.
"In 2009, Gruver and Carrillo developed a unique concept for a new venture in West Hollywood, California named Bar Varsity, a gay-oriented, sports-themed restaurant and nightclub," the complaint states. "They commenced scouting for a location and initially submitted a proposal to lease the premises then occupied by another restaurant, 'Fat Fish,' located at 616 North Robertson Boulevard, West Hollywood, California."
Carrillo and Gruver say in the lawsuit that they have more than 15 years experience managing restaurants and nightclubs, working for SBE Entertainment Group and its restaurant The Abbey.
After they applied to lease the Fat Fish premises, their real estate agent told them the lease owner, Samaha, would not be renewing the Fat Fish lease and wanted to meet them in person to discuss their venture, according to the complaint.
Gruver and Carrillo say they met Samaha a few weeks later at his house.
"During the meeting, defendant Samaha reviewed the cost of the lease at the Fat Fish location and told plaintiffs that he would be happy to lease the space to them if they wanted it. Defendant Samaha then represented that he was impressed with plaintiffs' resumes and had something better in mind. He told plaintiffs that he was the owner of the master lease of the space in West Hollywood then occupied by a coffee house, Java Detour, located at 8948 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California 90069. Defendant Samaha also stated that he was a partner in Java Detour with his brother Demetri Samaha.
"Defendant Samaha represented that he wanted to be partners with plaintiffs Carrillo and Gruver in developing the Java Detour location into a restaurant and nightclub entertainment center. Defendant Samaha told plaintiff Carrillo that he loved plaintiffs' concept of a casual dining gay sports bar theme. Samaha inquired about the status of plaintiffs' investors and represented that he would partner with plaintiffs in a 50-50 relationship if he were the only cash investor."