LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The former president and CEO of the Black Angus restaurant chain is suing his ex-employer, alleging he was fired earlier this year for demanding a $1 million bonus owed him after the sale of the company, then denied nearly $450,000 in severance pay due him upon his termination.
Christopher Ames' Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations against Black Angus Steakhouses LLC include wrongful termination, breach of contract and violations of the state Labor Code. He seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit brought Friday.
A Black Angus representative could not be immediately reached. Based in Sherman Oaks, the Black Angus restaurant chain was founded in 1964 by restaurateur Stuart Anderson.
Ames, a “successful, dedicated and hard-working employee of Black Angus,'' was its president and CEO for nearly seven years and his employment contract provided for a $1 million bonus if Black Angus was sold or there was a change of control of the company during his employment, the suit states.
When Ames was hired as CEO in September 2014, Black Angus was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Taurian BA Holding LLC, according to the suit. In August 2020, that company sold, assigned and transferred 100% of its interest in Black Angus to Ursian BA Holdings LLC, the suit states.
“This was a sale of Black Angus and, at the very least, a change of control as those terms are defined in the applicable agreements,'' the suit states. “Yet, Black Angus refused to pay Ames his contractual bonus.''
Ames filed a demand for arbitration in July to enforce his rights under his agreement with Black Angus, but rather than engage in the arbitration in good faith, Black Angus failed to pay the arbitration fee, forfeiting its right to litigate in that forum, the suit states.
“At the same time, shockingly, Black Angus retaliated against Ames by terminating his employment and refused to pay Ames his severance and other wages owed at termination because Ames refused to release his then-pending claims in arbitration,'' the suit alleges.
Ames was entitled to a severance payment of about $445,578 after being fired, but Black Angus conditioned the payment on Ames signing an agreement releasing the company from the claims submitted by Ames in arbitration, including the restaurant chains alleged violations of the state Labor Code, the suit states.
Ames responded to Black Angus' with proposed amendments carving out his then-pending claims in arbitration, but the company sent him a letter rejecting his proposals as unacceptable, according to the suit.
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