Bourbon Street subleaser seeks unpaid rent of over $1 million from adult entertainment business

NEW ORLEANS—A Bourbon Street subleaser wants a renter evicted for allegedly failing to honor an agreement that was made with the owner’s deceased father.

Max Nathan Jr., as sole executor of the estate of William Colacurcio Jr., filed suit against Lafitte’s Bistro Inc. and Saint Jones in the Orleans Parish Civil District Court on July 18.

Coracurcio, who is described as a well-known operator of adult entertainment clubs in the French Quarter and who often went by the names “Rick” and “Big Daddy,” died on July 23, 2012. While alive, he owned and/or operated several clubs: Big Daddy’s at 522 Bourbon, Papa Joe’s at 516 Bourbon and Unisex at 508 Bourbon. The suit claims that due to “legal difficulties the Decedent experienced back in the late 1970s/ early 1980s, the deceased, in order to obtain a liquor license for his clubs, arranged to have the clubs titled in the names of various corporations owned by a third party that he was close with.” According to the lawsuit, Coracurcio would then lease and sublease those properties.

With the death of his son, William Coracurcio III,  Coracurcio Jr. purportedly continued to operate clubs titled in his son’s name, and opened a new club known as Big Daddy’s at 508, which was placed in the name of Lafitte’s Bistro, owned by Saint Jones.

The plaintiff claims that Jones and Lafitte’s Bistro abruptly ceased paying the agreed upon portion (77%) of the club’s net profits to the estate in the form of rent. The defendants allegedly paid nothing and appropriated the net profits themselves, though they continue to pay monthly rent to the property owners under the prime lease.

The defendant is accused of breach of sublease contract and failure to pay rental fees in excess of $1,100,000. The plaintiff seeks payment of owed rent, a declaratory judgment terminating the sublease, and the defendants’ eviction.

The plaintiff is represented by Andrew A. Braun of Gieger, Labrode, & Laperouse LLC.

The case has been assigned to Division H Judge Michael G. Bagneris.

Case no. 2013-06671.