A lawsuit over Kandi Burruss’ steak and seafood restaurant in southwest Atlanta appeared to be headed for a settlement with the eatery’s landlord, but days later the reality television star’s companies pulled out of the deal, court records show.
At issue is a lawsuit filed by landlord Montego Pacific Inc. over unpaid rent and property damage at the site of Blaze Steak & Seafood. In a complaint filed March 3, the landlord alleged two companies associated with the restaurant and Burruss breached their lease by failing to maintain the premises and pay charges when they became due. The landlord claims the restaurant groups owe about $154,000, including about $56,500 for repairs to the premises and a 10% overhead fee, the complaint said.
On March 7, the case appeared to be headed toward a resolution. Under the terms discussed by both parties’ lawyers, the restaurant groups said they would pay about $140,510, almost all of the charges the landlord said it was owed. The landlord’s attorney drafted a settlement and sent it over the following day, according to a motion to enforce the settlement agreement filed Monday.
But a filing in Fulton County Superior Court shows Burruss’ companies retained new lawyers and filed a counterclaim.
According to the counterclaim filed Friday, the restaurant suffered water damage and leaks in the interior walls and foundation of the premises. They allege the damage was the result of faulty plumbing and piping structures throughout the space. The lease says the tenant shall perform all maintenance to the premises, with a list of exceptions that includes plumbing, pipes and foundations, according to the Blaze complaint.
Blaze’s new legal team contends that no enforceable settlement existed because the defendants hadn’t executed any documents and there wasn’t a mutual consent to its terms, according to the motion filed Monday.
Adamma McKinnon, the attorney currently representing the restaurant groups, did not respond to a request for comment. Ken Mallernee, the former counsel for the groups, also did not respond.
In a statement, the landlord denies the allegations set forth in the defendants’ counterclaim. The group believes the court will “enforce the settlement to which the parties agreed on March 6 through defendants’ prior attorney.”
The companies associated with Blaze have been prohibited from opening the restaurant for more than four months, according to the counterclaim, while the landlord initiated repairs with vendors. This has resulted in a financial loss of about $423,870 in profit, inventory and staffing-related charges.
The landlord hasn’t accepted rental payments between July 2024 and March 2025 from the companies to compel them to accept the costs of the repairs to the space, according to the counterclaim. The monthly lease amount is about $12,107 per month.
About two weeks after submitting its complaint, the landlord filed a motion to drop Burruss from the lawsuit. This is because the personal guarantee Burruss signed for the lease expired before the lawsuit was filed. Burruss’ release from the case in her personal capacity had not yet been granted by the court as of late Monday.
Last week, Burruss publicly addressed the lawsuit during an Amazon Live broadcast. She said she thinks the landlord put her name on the lawsuit to get publicity.
“The rest is being worked out because it really was a disagreement about some repairs that they made and then who would be responsible for it,” Burruss said during the broadcast.
Burruss, one of the longest-serving cast members in “The Real Housewives” franchise, opened Blaze along Cascade Road in southwest Atlanta in 2020 with her husband, Todd Tucker. The restaurant is one of two full-time restaurants the couple owns. They opened a Southern comfort food restaurant in Castleberry Hill in 2017 called Old Lady Gang.
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