What’s Happening With the Lockhart Smokehouse and Crossbuck BBQ Legal Battle? | Eater Dallas

"A Farmers Branch barbecue restaurant opened in April 2022 by a longtime former pitmaster and a former director of operations from the other barbecue group, it quickly became entangled in litigation after the previous employer sued the founder, his wife and his mother-in-law seeking between $250,000 and $1 million on allegations including defamation, disparagement and breach of fiduciary duty. Additional suits target a Crossbuck pitmaster and the former director for alleged breaches of noncompete and tortious interference; the plaintiffs say high-level managers who had confidentiality and non-solicitation agreements were the focus of enforcement. The founder says he left amid disputes over dividend payments and has pursued access to financial records and clarity on IP and ownership to protect his minority investment, denies recruiting staff improperly or engaging in abusive conduct, and indicates countersuits or further legal action may follow; both sides dispute recruitment, vendor and customer interference claims, and the matters remain unresolved in court." - Courtney E. Smith