The Butcher Shop

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

"According to the city's suit this location owes $148,269.61 in unpaid personal property taxes; the lawsuit says final notices were sent on January 11, 2024 and that some taxes across the group weren't paid for more than a decade except for "one payment to each property in August 2021," contributing to a total claimed debt of $1,676,708.69. The city also filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent the tax sums from being avoided through sales. The group has already sold the liquor license for the South End property to the Mazi Food Group (Kava, Ilona, Gigi), and COO Lorraine Tomlinson-Hall says the group "was not aware of any taxes owed until the news was covered in the press this week," noting receipt of a "Certificate of Good Standing" at the time of that license transaction. She said, "This obviously could not have happened if taxes were owed," and argued, "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," adding, "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 concurrently involved in an earlier suit alleging withheld tips during the pandemic and has faced employee complaints about workplace culture, which she denies." - Erika Adams