LIBERTY TWP., Ohio — Liberty Center has sued former tenant Lotus Pad Asian Cuisine for $175,378 in outstanding rent, making this the second time the $350-million mega mixed-use development has taken a former tenant to court.
The lawsuit was filed in Butler County Common Pleas Court late last month against Lotus Pad Asian Cuisine, which closed in May 2018, and Pies and Pints Development Partners as guarantors of the lease. The lawsuit claims Liberty Center is owed at least $1,000, but a letter sent to Lotus Pad after it closed sets the amount owed at $175,378, according to court documents.
This is the second time in less than a year Liberty Center has sued a former tenant. Last summer the new owners sued Illinois-based Family Entertainment Group LLC for $850,000 because it violated its contract by never moving In the Game into the mall development.
That lawsuit claims Family Entertainment Group LLC signed a lease agreement to move an In the Game entertainment center into 16,879 square feet of space at the mall in Liberty Twp. The move-in date was supposed to be Sept. 19, 2019.
In the Game never materialized at the mall, and Liberty Center claims it is owed at least $855,641 in back rent and late fees, plus other damages. Family Entertainment Group could not be reached for comment.
Liberty Center General Manager John Taylor could not be reached for comment but previously told the Journal-News the pandemic delayed In the Game’s plans.
“Obviously they’ve been affected by everything as well,” he said at the time. “Their other locations are open so we’re working with them to set a new timeline for when they can start construction and when we can get them open. We expect it’ll be sometime next year.”
The entertainment center was supposed to offer food and “a creative adult drink menu,” and feature arcade gaming, six-lane boutique bowling, virtual reality, an axe-throwing arena and more.
