LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The owners of a renowned Las Vegas restaurant have filed a trademark lawsuit against the company founded by their daughter. Earlier this year, the daughter’s company had also sued the parents, claiming a breach in contract.
There are multiple companies at play: TChutima Inc., which is operated by parents Suchay Chutima and Saipin Chutima, who opened the original Lotus of Siam in 1999; Bua Group LLC, the company founded by their daughter Penny and a family friend Louis Abin, and LotusChutima LLC, the company owned by Penny that operates the Flamingo location of Lotus of Siam.
The lawsuit said that Penny operates the Flamingo location of Lotus of Siam but that the parents do not own the restaurant; instead they license the trademark to the location.
A similar lawsuit was filed in Clark County District court in March 2024, with Bua Group LLC alleging a breach of license agreement by TChutima.
The lawsuits said Penny was looking for partners to open additional locations around 2019-2020 and started working with Louis. Eventually, the pair obtained a license agreement in 2021 through TChutima to use the Lotus of Siam brand for a new location at Red Rock Casino.
The federal trademark suit said the TChutima was allowed to create Lotus Red Rock’s initial menu, make menu updates, train staff and create a kitchen layout.
However, after the location opened, Louis alleged he “has largely ran the Lotus of Siam at Red Rock on his own” with Penny refusing to participate in management meetings and Saipin, the chef, not coming to the restaurant except for once in a year.
TChutima alleges that Bua Group violated the trademark agreement, but much of the allegations regarding the specific violations are redacted.
Abin alleges that Penny had taken steps “directly adverse” to the interest of the restaurant. He said Penny has given instructions to kitchen staff contrary to that of Saipin, who trains the staff to keep the food up to the original quality, and removed the Red Rock location from the Lotus of Siam website. Currently, the Lotus of Siam restaurant on Flamingo and the Red Rock location have separate websites.
On Dec. 8, 2023, TChutima sent a breach of license agreement to Bua Group. Many of the details regarding the alleged breach are redacted.
“Bua Group learns that Penny is playing both side as she aligned herself with TChutima against Bua Group by retaining TChutima’s counsel,” the lawsuit reads. TChutima then notified Station Casinos that it intended to terminate the license agreement.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
