LOUISIANA RECORD

NEW ORLEANS – The previous owner of Haifa Turkish Cuisine & Hookah Bar allegedly failed to pay his employees and operating expenses.

Nahed Haifa and Haifa Turkish Cuisine LLC filed suit against George Challita and Noha Challita in the Orleans Parish Civil District Court on Jan. 9.

The lawsuit was filed only a day after Challita filed a lawsuit against Haifa on Jan. 8.

On Oct. 31, 2014, the plaintiff, Nahed Haifa, allegedly entered into a “Business Management Agreement” with the defendant, George Challita. As part of the agreement, George Challita was to become business manager of the establishment located at 4740 Canal Street in New Orleans. The contract also stipulated that the defendant was to pay the plaintiff a “management fee” of $5,000 per month until the agreement was terminated in December 2014.

However, over the course of the next two months the defendant allegedly violated numerous clauses within the agreement. Alleged violations include failure to deposit the earnings from the restaurant into the correct bank account entitled “Haifa Turkish Cuisine & Hookah Bar" and inappropriately giving access of the account to his wife among other things.

Upon becoming manager, George Challita was also allegedly supposed to pay the plaintiff for the restaurant's inventory, which was approximately $16,000. Yet, the petitioner claims Challita made no such effort and exhausted the restaurant’s revenue while operating it.

“Upon Nahed Haifa resuming control of the Restaurant, the entirety of the inventory had been depleted,” the lawsuit states.

Thus, the plaintiff alleges the purported violations constitute a breach of the original “Business Management Agreement” between he and George Challita.

The plaintiff is represented by Galen M. Hair and Alejandro J. Rodriguez of Varadi, Hair & Checki LLC.

The case has been assigned to Div. D Judge Nakisha Ervin-Knott.

Case no. 2015-00188.