Lawsuits

Eva Longoria Sued for $4,000,000 by Shady Beso Investor

Eva Longoria tried to start 2011 off with a clean slate, getting the wrist tattoo that celebrated her brief marriage to Tony Parker removed and smiling wide for paparazzi while on a date with Entourage’s Kevin Connolly. But continuing drama at her Vegas restaurant Beso might derail the actress’s mission to get her groove back. Following yesterday’s news that Beso filed for bankruptcy, TMZ reports that Longoria has also been sued for $4,000,000 by an investor in the restaurant. Even worse, she’s being accused of pulling a minor league Bernie Madoff. But the plaintiff’s history makes it look like she might be the shady one.

The alleged scheme finds Longoria loaning Beso LLC., the restaurant group behind Beso, one million dollars at an astronomical interest rate. In two years, that initial investment has ballooned into a $4.6 million debt that is to be paid right back to Longoria. Beso investor Mali Nachum, who filed the suit in L.A. County Superior Court, argues that Eva broke California State Law and is siphoning away part of her own ownership stake.

According to a Longoria rep (who hilariously doesn’t hesitate to use the word “desperate” in the opening words of a statement), this lady just wants to bail Beso’s sinking ship with $4,000,000 back in her pockets. Furthermore, the rep pins blame for the restaurant’s bankruptcy squarely on the shoulders of Longoria’s accusers. And she could be right.

Mrs. Nachum’s husband, Ronen, has a history of harassing the restaurant and its holding company. A report last May in the Las Vegas Review-Journal says that he attempted to bully his way into being a main operator of the restaurant with strong-arm threats and intimidation. The reporter also found that Ronen himself has no stake in the company but does have an eerily empty history when it comes to being on the books. A protection order was sought last summer against Mr. Nachum by Jonas Lowrance, a principal partner in Beso, alongside Longoria and Mali Nachum, who sought an end to Nachum’s threats and bad behavior.

So take heart, Eva, we suspect this thing could blow over. And though these stakes do seem high, at least you never entered the true losing gamble: saying “I do” to Beso’s consulting chef, Todd English.

Eva Longoria Sued – Alleged Beso Restaurant Scam [TMZ]
Brouhaha makes CityCenter venues ripe for investigation [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

Eva Longoria Sued for $4,000,000 by Shady Beso Investor