BBQ thicker than blood? Lake Norman chef ‘cheated’ sister out of $300K, lawsuit says
The owner of a Lake Norman barbecue restaurant was sued this month by his sister and brother-in-law who claim they were “cheated” out of $300,000 to open the establishment.
The lawsuit involves executive chef-owner James Hettinger’s Chefry’s Blue Smoke BBQ. The restaurant opened May 9 in the former Salty Caper pizzeria at 134 Mooresville Commons Way, in the Lowes Foods center off Brawley School and Williamson roads in Mooresville.
In their lawsuit, Mooresville residents Jessica and Daniel Dove say Hettinger falsely promised them an equal partnership in the business when they gave him the first $200,000 in start-up funds.
The Doves also claim they were falsely told the lease for the restaurant space would be in the name of the partnership the couple thought it had with Hettinger.
Instead, according to the lawsuit, the lease was placed in the name of Chefry’s Blue Smoke LLC, which Hettinger formed in 2021, listing only himself as a member.
In 2022, Hettinger told the couple he hadn’t established a legal business entity to operate the restaurant, according to the Doves’ lawsuit filed Oct. 4 in Iredell County Civil Superior Court in Statesville.
The Doves also say Hettinger falsely told them their partnership entity would reimburse them for tools, supplies and labor they provided to remodel the space.
Hettinger later changed the locks on the restaurant doors and refused the couple entry, according to the lawsuit. Hettinger declined to comment about the Doves’ claims when The Charlotte Observer called him at the restaurant on Thursday.
He referred questions to his lawyer, Mark Hamblin of Mooresville.
“There’s a dispute about a loan given by Jessica Dove to her brother,” Hamblin told the Observer. “Because this involves litigation, we can’t comment further.”
Hamblin said he intends to file a formal response to the claims in the next week.
Daniel Dove on Thursday referred the Observer to his lawyer, David Sherman Jr. of Matthews. Dove said he and his wife won’t comment about their lawsuit until after the case is litigated. Sherman declined comment on Friday, also because the case is pending.
This story was originally published October 20, 2023 at 9:55 AM.