Chef Barbara Lynch Sued by the City for Nearly $1.7M in Unpaid Taxes | Eater Boston

"The city of Boston's lawsuit alleges this location owes $156,188.07 in unpaid personal property taxes and that final notice letters were sent on January 11, 2024; the suit claims some taxes across the group were unpaid for more than a decade except for "one payment to each property in August 2021," amounting to a total claim of $1,676,708.69. The city has also asked for a temporary restraining order to prevent the tax amounts from going unpaid if any property is sold. In response, COO Lorraine Tomlinson-Hall said the group "was not aware of any taxes owed until the news was covered in the press this week" and pointed out that when the liquor license for the South End property was sold the group received a "Certificate of Good Standing." She stated, "This obviously could not have happened if taxes were owed," and added, "None of the distinct LLCs have ever owned the properties in which the restaurants have operated from, so this cannot be a real estate tax," concluding, "This leads us to believe this is an error and we are greatly disappointed that we were not contacted directly or via the company CPA or legal counsel. This has caused unnecessary embarrassment to Barbara Lynch and her family but we look forward to reconciling this matter with the City." The chef is also facing an earlier lawsuit alleging withheld tips during the pandemic and has been the subject of employee allegations of toxic workplaces, which she denies." - Erika Adams