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Stranded reBar Couple Become First To Sue Jason Stevens
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 23, 2014
Modified May 23, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published May 23, 2014
Modified May 23, 2014
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Yesterday, disgraced former reBar owner Jason Stevens appeared in Brooklyn Criminal Court to plead not guilty to tax fraud charges and grand larceny. Afterwards, Stevens was confronted by more than a dozen unhappy couples who had been left in the lurch when he abruptly shuttered reBar two weeks ago. And now, one couple has officially filed the first lawsuit against him.
According to DNAInfo, Nancy Nienberg and Jennifer Liseo filed a lawsuit earlier this week accusing Stevens of fraud, the first such lawsuit by one of the hundreds of couples who had their wedding deposits taken by Stevens. Their lawsuit states that Stevens deposited their $34,000 check into his personal bank account and failed to disclose reBar’s severe tax liability.
The couple, who live in Park Slope, write that Stevens spent two hours showing the couple around reBar on April 2nd, convincing them to use the space without mentioning any of his ongoing tax problems. "In addition, Stevens took [Nienberg] and her fiancé to the roof and took pictures with the New York skyline in the background to further convince them that reBar was the best venue for their wedding celebration," the lawsuit says
Stevens initially eyeballed the cost of their reception (which would accomodate 200 guests and include a five-hour open bar, free popcorn and karaoke) at $45,000, but took off $11,000 because they paid in full on April 14th for the wedding, which was supposed to take place on September 12th.
Some former employees previously told us that Stevens made off with around $150,000 in wedding deposit checks and $27,000 in cash. Stevens had been audited by the IRS last year, and those former staffers suggest he owed $2.5-3 million in unpaid sales tax from between 2009-2012.
A prosecutor indicated yesterday that a settlement might be reached in the case against Stevens by the next court date, June 12th, a deal which would not include criminal charges. However, the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs confirmed that they are working with the Kings County DA on the investigation, and many others couples have told us they are still planning on joining together for a separate class action lawsuit.
Tagged
bankrupt
brooklyn
grand larceny
jason stevens
lawsuit
rebar
tax evasion
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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