Martin Russo ? "Attorneys for" Buddha Bar ?!?!?!

Judge Orders Baker's Lawyers to Cease Calling Themselves "Attorneys for" Buddha Bar

July 1, 2010
New York

On June 29, 2010, Manhattan Judge ordered law firm Gusrae, Kaplan, Bruno & Nusbaum to stop referring to themselves as "attorneys for Little Rest Twelve, Inc." Little Rest Twelve is a holding company of Ajna Bar, a world renowned New York restaurant, formerly Buddha Bar NYC. Buddha Bar had changed its name to "Ajna" in late 2008 but many still refer to it by its original name.

Gusrae Kaplan, a small Wall Street firm specializing in securities quarrels, is defending Inna Gudavadze against allegations that she murdered her husband, Georgian billionaire and philanthropist to grab his fortune and out of jealousy for another woman. (Gudavadze, Berezovsky, Implicated in Death of Badri Patarkatsishvili, Lawsuit Alleges, MT-Newswire, 1/22/10).

As was widely reported, on March 31, 2010, lawyer Martin Russo a member of Gusrae Kaplan, leading a pack of 20 armed men raided premises of Ajna Bar, threatened employees and locked out Ajna's management. When police arrived at the scene, Russo managed to persuade them to leave by representing himself as "lawyer" for the landmark restaurant. Russo also fooled the cops by alluding that he had "court order" permitting him to raid the place, according to court documents. On April 2, 2010, the judge of New York Supreme Court signed an order referring Russo and his associate, French national Jean-Yves Haouzi, to Manhattan District Attorney's Office for investigation. (See: Supreme Court Judge Refers Inna Gudavadze's Lawyer for Criminal Investigation).

Nonetheless, Russo and other Gusrae lawyers kept on filing papers in court referring to themselves as "lawyers for Little Rest Twelve" and claiming that Ajna/Buddha Bar now belongs to Gudavadze's proxy, Andrew Baker, a Liechtenstein self-styled financial advisor. Gudavadze, one of two Badri's "official" widows, has claimed ownership of Buddha Bar as part of Badri's estate, since his mysterious death.

Martin Kaplan Gudavadze's Lawyer

In his order dated June 29, 2010, the judge wrote: "It has come to my attention that Gusrae Kaplan has nevertheless continued to file motion papers in this action on behalf of plaintiff Little Rest Twelve, Inc., which has led to considerable confusion in the docket." Judge ordered that Gusrae Kaplan's lawyers immediately cease referring to themselves as attorneys for Little Rest Twelve and referring to Buddha's real attorneys of record as "former attorneys".

The court order is the latest in a series of Gudavadze's setbacks in courts in New York, Miami and overseas in her and her two daughters' bitter struggle for the share of the estate of the late businessman.

Inna's pledge: "I won't spare resources and take back every cent!"

According to papers which Gudavadze recently filed in UK court, in the past two years she had spent nearly £18 million (US$25 million) in legal fees and related expenses.Gudavadze claims she has no more money to fight for her ex's inheritance.

"Inna's lawyers are having a field day" says Sophie Kay, former wife of Joseph Kay "but I know Joe like no one else, he need not spend millions on lawyers because he's very smart and very ruthless, Inna will get nothing, take my word for it" she said in a recent TV interview.