After a widely talked about and controversial lawsuit filed against the extremely popular eatery known as the Turkey Leg Hut became a trending topic of conversation in the community and on social media, the group of six nearby residents who decided to file the lawsuit against the restaurant have decided to suspend their lawsuit with conditions.
According to a statement released from Chris Feldman, who is the attorney with the law firm of Feldman and Feldman that filed the original suit and represented the plaintiffs:
“We agreed to temporarily suspend, or ‘non-suit without prejudice,’ the litigation to give the Turkey Leg Hut owners one last chance to get in compliance with the law and finally become good neighbors. Throughout 2019, neighbors have endured a noxious stream of smoke from the restaurant. Contrary to the manufactured ‘antigentrification’ campaign of Turkey Leg Hut activists, this legal dispute emanated purely from the public health, nuisance and regulatory issues caused by the operation of the restaurant which only moved to the area in mid-2018.”
The group of six residents are saying that they would pursue the lawsuit again if “public health, nuisance, and regulatory issues persist” from the Turkey Leg Hut.
Many in the community, including the owners of the Turkey Leg Hut, have cried foul upon hearing the news that the lawsuit had been filed and suspected the lawsuit was far deeper than the details that were stated in the lawsuit.
At the time, the plaintiff’s attorneys released a statement indicating that the residents were being impacted by “noxious smoke which engulfs their homes and jeopardizes public health and safety on multiple levels.”
After hearing the news, the Turkey Leg Hut issued its own statement through their lawyers, announcing an update on the lawsuit and their alleged suspicions about the lawsuit from the beginning:
“From the moment we were engaged, we suspected this was not about smoke but rather about forcing the Turkey Leg Hut out of its location. We were not about to let that happen. We are pleased that these neighbors have elected to drop the suit quickly and proud to have had the opportunity to fight for Turkey Leg Hut.”
The lawyers went on to say:
“We’re pleased the plaintiffs voluntarily requested an unconditional dismissal of this unfounded lawsuit….For the past two weeks, the plaintiffs and their attorney have publicly villainized the Turkey Leg Hut and its founders, falsely claiming the restaurant to be an illegal operation, a health hazard and a public nuisance, run by people who don’t care about the health and wellbeing of the community, and who are somehow above the laws in the City of Houston. Unfortunately, this lawsuit has damaged the good name of our clients, their reputation, and their business operations.”
It is no secret that the Turkey Leg Hut, which is located in Houston’s historic Third Ward community off of Almeda Rd., has become widely popular, which has led to many residents in the area complaining to the City of Houston, relative to parking, traffic, noise and the issue with the smoke.
Turkey Leg Hut owners, Lynn and Nakia Price, have indicated through a statement that their restaurant is in “full compliance with all ordinances, permits, and health codes for operation in the City of Houston.”
Time will tell if the Turkey Leg Hut will remedy the situation relative to the smoke, although all indications are showing that they have begun the process of doing so. The other question will be if their Third Ward neighbors will allow them to modify things and be a welcomed neighbor in the community as well? Again…time will tell.