Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has been slapped with a $10.8 million lawsuit from his former partner who claims that Ramsay deliberately ran his eatery to the ground.
According to the New York Daily News, Rowen Seibel and Ramsay opened the Fat Cow in Los Angeles in 2012. Seibel reportedly invested $800,000 into the restaurant and the two reportedly shared an equal partnership. However, Seibel is now claiming that Ramsay mishandled a trademark problem for their LA restaurant.
Manhattan Supreme Court papers state that Ramsay insisted on naming their eatery, The Fat Cow, despite the name being previously trademarked by a restaurant in Florida. Seibel, who was against the name use, said Ramsay told him not to worry, stating: "Don't worry, I'm the trademark queen."
Seibel's investment went towards expensive for the lease space, including a new kitchen, new fixtures and furnishings, and training the restaurant staff. But after less than two years of being opened Ramsay shut down the restaurant and cited trademark problems as the reason.
Seibel alleges that Ramsay's behavior led to the downfall of the restaurant, something Seibel said Ramsay wanted.
"Gordon Ramsay attempted to run the business and make decisions ... similar to his television personality on Hell's Kitchen - as a dictatorship, without the proper authority and without consent of his partner," states the lawsuit.
Ramsey's has responded with the following: "We're surprised that Mr. Seibel has the audacity to file this ridiculous suit when he and his team were responsible for the day to day running of The Fat Cow and spectacularly mismanaged it resulting in a string of financial and legal issues. Gordon Ramsay and his team immediately stepped in and tried to resolve these issues, but Seibel refused to engage in any meaningful conversations, rendering the restaurant unsustainable. Throughout, Ramsay was very forthcoming with Seibel that any future plan for another restaurant partnership in Los Angeles was impossible due to Seibel's refusal to operate and fund the restaurant properly, sadly including Seibel diverting funds from the business."
