Anti-mask restaurateur in OC sues landlord

A Huntington Beach restaurant owner who made national headlines for defying coronavirus masking orders has sued his landlord for terminating his lease.

Tony Roman, owner of Basilico’s Pasta E Vino at 21501 Brookhurst Street, has filed a lawsuit against property owner George Soohoo, alleging that he’s getting the boot because of political differences, the Orange County Register reported.

Before the pandemic, Roman had a good working relationship with SooHoo, who bought the strip mall that houses his Basilico’s in February 2020, the lawsuit said.

After Roman “began publicly opposing and protesting against California’s stay-at-home orders,” the lawsuit alleges, “SooHoo closed the lines of communication.”

Last September Roman draped a large American flag across the front of his Italian restaurant.
He alleges SooHoo embarked on a “months-long mission” to make him take it down, “incorrectly claiming that it damaged the neighbor’s sign,” according to the complaint.

Roman signed a five-year lease with his original landlord in 2017. That lease ended July 31, but included an option to renew for another five years. He was required to give written notice of his intent to continue the lease seven to nine months before it expired.

He alleges he sent notices to renew his lease last October and December, which “went unanswered,” according to the complaint.

Instead, SooHoo sent him letters beginning in January “erroneously alleging numerous purported lease violations” pertaining to the flag and other signage, the lawsuit said. In April, SooHoo sent Roman one more letter stating: “Basilico’s option is terminated.”

The lawsuit asks for a judicial “determination that the lease remains in full force … through the first option period, until July 31, 2027.” It also requests unspecified monetary damages.

Attorneys for Roman and SooHoo declined to comment to the newspaper about the case.

Roman became known coast to coast for his controversial anti-mask stance, having posted anti-masking and anti-vaccination signs in his restaurant windows.

He once paid for a Hollywood billboard with a nod to the film “The Godfather.” It read: “Leave the mask, take the cannoli.”

– Dana Bartholomew

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