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Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano War With ‘Jealous Competitors’ Kyky and Unik of PM

Richie Akiva is lawsuited up.
Richie Akiva is lawsuited up.haha Photo: Melissa Hom

Last week the Daily News brought word that Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano are being sued for $120 million by developer Emilio Barletta, who claims he’s the rightful lease holder of the space that houses the Butter boys’ club 1 OAK. What the News doesn’t mention, but our inside sources do, is that Barletta, owner of Zanzibar, was planning to partner in the space with PM owners Kyky and Unik, last seen plotting a now-abandoned Italian bistro in the Sascha space.

How will this affect the community board’s vote on 1 OAK’s liquor-license-alteration application on December 5? One thing’s for sure: Given the legal fees (and the fact that, according to an unbiased source, the lounge with full kitchen looks “beautiful”), these guys are going to be charging a pretty penny to host your office Christmas party.

Plaintiff [Barletta] is a front man for jealous competitors who apparently did not have the financing necessary to obtain the lease for the premises. It is an entirely frivolous case based on fraudulent documents with pleadings riddled with errors and false statements. Plaintiff is so out of tune with the industry that he thinks that 1 OAK (at 453 West 17th Street) is located in the meat packing [sic] district. Plaintiff has resorted to defamation of defendants after the Court rejected his frivolous request for a temporary restraining order. With respect to the ludicrous demand for damages, it appears that Plaintiff merely decided to arbitrarily add zeros to his demand in an obvious attempt to generate negative publicity about 1 OAK to extort a settlement. Our clients will be suing plaintiff and his partners next week for defamation and fraud.

How will this affect the community board’s vote on 1 OAK’s liquor-license-alteration application on December 5? One thing’s for sure: Given the legal fees (and the fact that, according to an unbiased source, the lounge with full kitchen looks “beautiful”), these guys are going to be charging a pretty penny to host your office Christmas party.

Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano War With ‘Jealous Competitors’ Kyky