Philippe wins war of Chows
A bitter sixyear legal battle between upscale Chinese eateries Michael Chow’s Mr. Chow and newer rival Philippe Chow has finally come to its (most recent) ending.
In a convoluted case that’s often been as confounding as any fortune cookie, a federal appeals court ruled that Mr. Chow must fork over more than $1.1 million in legal fees and costs to Philippe Chow, which Mr. Chow had sued.
Vincent Ancona, lawyer for Philippe Chow and its founder Stratis Morfogen, claimed victory, telling The Post’s Jennifer Gould Keil: “It’s only Chinese food!” And, “Michael Chow spent millions to try this case and he now also has to pay $1.1 million in legal fees. His goal was to shut down Philippe Chow. It didn’t happen. At the end of the day, [he] didn’t get what he wanted. Philippe is still in business, serving Chinese food.”
The brouhaha stemmed from a 2009 suit in which Mr. Chow claimed that Morfogen lured away their 27year staff veteran Chak Yam Chau, stole Michael Chow’s menu, and Chau changed his name to “Philippe Chow Chau” to fool customers into thinking he was Mr. Chow.
Claims included trademark infringement, false advertising and unfair competition. Philippe Chow countersued for $25.2 million for defamation and other claims that were thrown out.
Ancona told Gould Keil that Chau started as a dishwasher and ultimately asked for a piece in Mr. Chow. “He wanted a shot at the American Dream. Mr. Chow said no, so he took his own shot. It’s a great story.” A source close to Morfogen said, “This decision came at just the right time,” since Morfogen is launching a new Chinese eatery, Jue Lan Club, in the old Limelight space with Robert Collins and Vikram Chatwal this month.
In 2012, Page Six reported that a Miami court awarded Mr. Chow a $1 million judgment against Philippe. That decision was reportedly reversed, then reinstated. Lawyers for Mr. Chow, including Bert Fields — whose clients include Tom Cruise, Warren Beatty and John Travolta — and Curtis Miner did not return our requests for comment.