Readers of our blog who reside in Detroit may be familiar with the real estate dispute that has been going on between the Sterling Heights-based investment firm and Forza Development LLC, the company whose partnership with Flavor Flav’s restaurant has spurred the problems.
According to the Sterling Heights-based firm, Avenue Invest LLC, Flavor Flav’s Chicken & Ribs, which opened up shop in December, had not paid rent on the property since October. Naturally, this spurred a landlord-tenant dispute between the two. A report recently released by Complete Music indicates that the business was initially withholding rent because the landlord failed to fix a faulty heater, though the report does not indicate whether these accusations have been confirmed or not.
The failure to pay rent ultimately led Avenue Invest LLC to ask a Michigan district court judge to file charges against Forza Development LLC. Although Forza appealed, 41A District Court Judge Kimberley Wiegand denied the appeal and allowed the eviction to continue. According to the investment firm, the locks were changed on the property after police assisted with the eviction process.
Although litigation pertaining to the eviction may be settled at this time, Forza Development LLC and Flavor Flav’s Chicken & Ribs may face further legal disputes when it comes to the cooking equipment associated with the restaurant. Avenue Invest claims that the original lease agreement afforded the restaurant an allowance for the equipment, which they could have challenged in court as well. They decided not to pursue the matter however, stating that they believed there may be senior secured liens on the equipment that could present future problems.
For now, the restaurant claims on its Facebook page that it will re-open, though some speculate that the business could run into similar real estate disputes if it fails to follow its lease agreements in the future.
Source: Crain’s Detroit Business, “Flavor Flav-out: Restaurant owners evicted from Sterling Heights location,” Chad Halcom, July 26, 2013
