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[Ksyrup]

Landlord sues restaurateurs who say building is haunted

ORLANDO, Fla. - The owners of a Japanese restaurant who claim their newly renovated building is haunted are being sued by their landlord for refusing to move in.

An offer to hold an exorcism was refused, according to the $2.6 million lawsuit filed by the owners of the Church Street Station entertainment complex last month in Orange County Circuit Court.

"I asked them if these were good ghosts or bad ghosts, and if they were good ghosts why it was a problem," said David Simmons, an attorney representing the building's owners, who include boy band promoter Lou Pearlman. Simmons is also a member of the Florida House of Representatives.

Christopher and Yoko Chung, the owners of Amura Japanese Restaurant, had planned to move into the building in October 2004, but backed out of the lease.

"There have been several documented reports from subcontractors and others of having seen ghosts or apparitions in the restaurant at night," the Chungs' attorney, Lynn Franklin, wrote to the building's owner in November.

"Apparently, these types of sightings are well-known to some of your employees but were not made known to Mr. Chung," she wrote.

Franklin said Christopher Chung's religious beliefs as a Jehovah's Witness required him to "avoid encountering or having any association with spirits or demons."

A message left early Thursday for Franklin was not immediately returned.

The lawsuit also asks a judge to decide whether the building is haunted and, if so, whether the ghosts would interfere with the restaurant's business.

Renovations stopped when the Chungs' backed out of their lease, and the building remains empty.

[mrsimperless]

That place sounds like a gold mine. All they need to do is re-theme it.

[KWhit]

Interesting. I think haunted houses are a load of hooey, but I wonder if the restauranteurs actually have a point here.

If the place is "known" to be haunted around the community, could that hurt their business? Maybe. Did the landlord have a legal duty to inform them of this fact? If he knew about it, likely yes, but I'm not sure. I know that the landlord would have to disclose anything that was physically wrong with the building, but this is different.

Interesting.

[Ksyrup]

I just want to see this go to trial and have a judge rule on the evidence given to support the fact that ghosts have been seen there.

As far as the guy's religious beliefs forbidding him from associating with demons...well, he's already blown that by signing a lease with Lou Perlman's company.