It’s been a while since we revisited the case that Michael Chow brought against Chak Yam Chau and Stratis Morfogen back in July for allegedly stealing Mr. Chow’s concept and dishes when they opened Philippe together, but lawyers in the Florida and California cases are now seeking to merge them so they can be heard by the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida.
Other than the fact that the suit adds four Mr. Chow chefs who defected to Philippe as defendants (Chow claims they violated confidentiality agreements by sharing trade secrets), there isn’t much new here. But it’s worth taking a look at the amended complaint, because Mr. Chow’s lawyers have really outdone their previous purple prose with headings like “Defendant Morfogen Attempts to Steal a Great Restaurant,” and new accusations such as the one that Morfogen gave the former Mr. Chow chef (or chopper or whatever he was) a new car as a signing bonus. But was it a Beamer or a RAV4? No doubt we’ll find out if and when this case is ever heard.
Amended Complaint Mr. Chow vs. Philippe [PDF]
Earlier: Chinese Knockoffs: Grand Sichuan Cops to Menu Copying, and New $10M Accusations Against Philippe
