Ex-Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith gets sued by investors after suffering $67,000,000 loss from Las Vegas restaurant

Former Dallas Cowboys running back and three-time Super Bowl winner Emmitt Smith is being sued by investors stemming from an alleged lack of honoring commitments towards a Las Vegas restaurant. Emmitt’s was set to open in the city’s Fashion Show Mall in 2022 as per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The lawsuit has been filed by famous chef Rainer Schwarz. He was set to be a part of this venture but alleges that some business associates reneged on their promises.

Chef Rainer LLC also claims that they're entitled to receive more than $67 million in salary and profit sharing under the management agreement and will not receive it unless the defendants are enjoined.

The lawsuit alleges:

“... arranged a conspiracy to steal the opportunity to open and operate Emmitt’s for themselves, while cutting Chef Rainer LLC and Trilogy out of the deal entirely.”

Trilogy refers to Trilogy F&B Group LLC, one of four entities named in the complaint, that entered into an operating agreement in October 2021.

While Emmitt Smith is not named directly in the lawsuit, his limited liability company is one of the entities. The lawsuit was filed in Clark County District Court.

---

What more is alleged in the lawsuit involving Emmitt Smith's restaurant?

Valley Water Mill LLC, a minority owner of Trilogy, and its individual members are also among the defendants.

Gillett Construction LLC of Vegas, another defendant, allegedly changed the locks to the company, cutting out chef Schwarz and preventing him and others from entering the restaurant.

Through the chef's limited liability company, Chef Rainer LLC, they accuse that the defendants then provided tours of Emmitt’s to competing chefs and vendors.

“... unlawfully assigned Trilogy’s lease to Valley Water Mill... to replace Chef Rainer LLC and usurp its rights under the Management Agreement, including by engaging alternate vendors and contractors.”

---

The reported loss to Chef Rainer from Emmitt's

According to the lawsuit, Chef Rainer LLC has allegedly incurred, to date, more than $2.2 million in costs.

They list among their expenses staff hiring, vendor contracts, kitchen equipment, utilities, tableware and stemware. It also involves design and commission within the restaurant of a decorative ceiling and a central staircase. Out of that, allegedly $1.1 million is yet to be reimbursed.

It marks a sorry saga for Emmitt Smith in a restaurant that was supposed to bear his name in the entertainment capital of the world.