Judge bars removal of O’Doul’s souvenirs
A Superior Court judge on Friday barred the operator of Lefty O’Doul’s in Union Square from removing any additional pieces of memorabilia, the latest development in the escalating fight between landlord and longtime tenant over who has the right to the name and decor of the baseball-themed restaurant and cocktail lounge.
With the current Lefty O’Doul’s lease up and the restaurant scheduled to shut its doors on Feb. 3, the brawl over who owns the landmark Geary Street hofbrau — and its 400 pieces of baseball memorabilia — has officially moved from the barroom to the courtroom.
The longtime operator, Nick Bo-
vis, says he has plans to move the business — its name, interior decorations and employees — to a nearby location. His landlord, Jon Handlery, says he owns Lefty’s and everything inside it. He plans to renovate the space and reopen it as Lefty O’Doul’s, although without the current Lefty’s workers, many of whom have worked there for 20 to 30 years.
On Friday, attorneys for both sides were in court filing complaints. The case boils down to a disagreement over who has a right to continue operating one of the city’s busiest and most renowned eating and drinking establishments.
In Superior Court on Friday, Handlery sought — and received — a temporary restraining order barring Bovis from removing any more fixtures, furniture or memorabilia, although Bovis has already taken down and stored most of the decor. The restraining order is effective until Feb 15.
In the complaint, Handlery attorney Richard Darwin accused the Bovis family of “looting” the restaurant and said they “must be stopped before the restaurant is stripped bare.”
Handlery Hotels, which owns the building at 333 Geary St. that has housed Lefty O’Doul’s since it opened in 1958, says it has been the “sole and exclusive” owner of Lefty O’Doul’s — and all of its memorabilia and fixtures — since 1997, when a lease termination was signed with a former tenant, Don Figone. The Bovis family took over that year.
Meanwhile, Bovis attorney Joe Cotchett filed a complaint accusing Handlery of trademark infringement and unfair competition. Bovis’ attorneys filed documents demonstrating that his family owns the Lefty O’Doul’s name for use in connection with “restaurant and bar services.”
The complaint also says Handlery has known for years that Bovis had trademarked the Lefty O’Doul’s name and never expressed a problem with it.
“At no point prior to Jan. 12, 2017 did anyone from (Handlery Hotels) indicate or suggest that they owned plaintiffs’ intellectual property, including Lefty O’Doul’s mark, in connection with a restaurant and bar displaying sports memorabilia,” wrote the Bovis lawyers.
Tom O’Doul, a cousin of baseball legend Lefty O’Doul, said he supports Bovis, who he said has done an excellent job of keeping the philanthropic traditions O’Doul started, mostly around kids and baseball.
“I’ve got news for Mr. Handlery: O’Doul is my name, and I’ve had that name for 75 years,” he said. “Handlery doesn’t own it and can’t have it.”