Marc Ecko sued for breaking lease

Retailer Marc Ecko Enterprises is facing a legal battle after walking away from its lease at the former Times Square Theater, at 217 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues. Ecko had been paying rent for the site since 2004 with plans to open a three-level flagship store, but it never got past the planning stage, leaving the old theater boarded up for years. The landlord, non-profit group New 42nd Street, said Ecko stopped paying rent in December. Architectural firm TPG Planning and Design is also suing Ecko for $164,000 it’s owed for work on the project.