Down House Accuses Texas Comptroller’s Office Of ‘Bullying’ In New Lawsuit

In continuation of the ongoing legal and financial drama that has plagued the embattled restaurant group that owns Down House, a lawsuit has been filed by the group against the Texas Comptroller’s Office after state officials visited the restaurant earlier this month.

According to the Houston Press, Down House’s suit alleges that employees of the Comptroller’s Office went to the Heights eatery earlier this month, demanding a hefty cash payment of $29,000, and as the suit alleges, threatening to arrest Down House employees. Alongside the suit was an emergency motion to grant a temporary restraining order against the Office.

The filings also indicate that the supposed shakedown happened while the restaurant was open for business, and that agents recovered only $691 from the Down House cash register. Cusack signed the receipt that agents provided when they seized the funds “in order to avoid hostilities.” Reportedly, an employee also opened the restaurant’s safe at the behest of an agent, only to find that the safe held a measly $8.

As has been previously reported, Down House’s debt to the Texas Comptroller’s Office nearly closed the restaurant. Last year, the agency reportedly froze the restaurant’s bank accounts (along with other accounts associated with Treadsack) and planned a full seizure until the group reached an agreement to pay what it owed in state taxes.

Down House’s lawsuit was filed on Sunday, which means that it could take weeks for the latest legal drama involving Treadsack Restaurants to play out. In its petition for a temporary restraining order, Down House says that the “total loss of the business...is irreparable.” Stay tuned for the next developments in this ongoing saga.

• State Agents Rock Down House Service: 'If You Don't Pay, We Will Shut You Down' [Houston Press]