Mall vs. The Mouse: UBS sues Disney store for $275K in back rent

Retailer at shuttered location at Montebello Town Center hasn’t paid since March 2020, suit alleges

Disney Store at Montebello Town Center (Disney, Shops at Montebello)
Disney Store at Montebello Town Center (Disney, Shops at Montebello)

UBS Realty Investors is suing Disney over a shuttered store at its Montebello mall, alleging the retailer skipped all its rent payments since the start of the pandemic then vacated the space.

In total, the Disney store owes almost $275,000 in back rent, according to court documents. The filing comes nearly five months after Walt Disney Company said it would close 60 stores across North America.

The Montebello Town Center first signed Disney to a 10-year lease in 2006, then extended the deal through January 2020. Disney then signed a month-to-month lease on the 4,800-square-foot location, according to the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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UBS alleges Disney stopped making rent payments in March 2020 — when pandemic measures shuttered stores across the country. The location never reopened, and Disney vacated the space in April.

Under the lease agreement at the Montebello store, Disney paid UBS $207,776 a year, as well as 4 percent of the store’s net sales, court documents show.

Disney and UBS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.