Feud over restaurant back on court menu

A LEGAL feud between a Palmer St developer and the former managers at the nowliquidated Bistro One restaurant is back in court.

Palmer St Developments owner Neville Parton had been ordered to pay back Yue Huang and Denis Vanjak the $ 300,000 they gave him in 2012 for shares in the restaurant. The Townsville District Court decision was overturned on appeal and a retrial was ordered.

North Ward woman Yue Huang represented herself in court as the second trial began yesterday.

In the witness stand, she said that on May 16, 2012, she approached Mr Parton and told him she and her partner Mr Vanjak were interested in buying Bistro One.

Ms Huang said she, Mr Vanjak and Mr Parton sat down and discussed a sale.

Mr Parton allegedly told her he wanted $ 600,000 for the restaurant and that in 2011 the business made $ 300,000 profit.

Ms Huang said Mr Parton told her he would pay off the business’s $ 70,000 debt if there was a sale.

She said three days later Mr Parton asked if the pair could instead make separate payments for shares.

Ms Huang said the pair did not see the business financial statements prior to signing the share- sale contract and making the first payment on June 1, 2012.

“There were more debts Mr Parton didn’t disclose. Under the financial balance sheet there is $ 344,000 debts. That’s including they didn’t pay staff super from April and May ... they didn’t pay entitlements, they didn’t pay GST in April and May,” she said.

Mr Parton has made a counterclaim, alleging Mr Vanjak and Ms Huang pocketed money from the business and breached their contract by abandoning the restaurant.

The trial is expected to continue this morning.