Owners of a popular local doughnut shop franchise reneged on a deal giving franchise rights to a company owned by a Kingston man, according to a lawsuit filed in Luzerne County Court.
AAL Investments, a company owned Aaron Littzi, is suing the owners of Curry Donuts, saying AAL was promised rights to the Curry Donuts name in Pittston before the owners failed to deliver.
The suit says that in May 2008, Curry Donuts owners Nicholas Tsioles and Theodore Tsioles offered Mr. Littzi exclusive rights to the doughnut franchise in Pittston, as well as the right to open another store somewhere else. Mr. Littzi spent about $76,000 operating a Curry Donuts shop in Pittston.
Four years later, AAL began a new lease agreement after the Tsioles told him he would have rights to operate the franchise in the city. A few months later, Mr. Littzi learned that wouldn't be the case.
His company would not receive exclusive rights to the brand name in Pittston or anywhere in Luzerne County. Instead, the owners had plans to sell franchises in Pittston to other people, according to the suit.
"He was told he was entering into a franchise agreement," said attorney Joseph Mashinksi. "What was said and what was delivered were two different things."
Another contention in the suit says Curry Donuts owners agreed to sell Mr. Littzi donut-making equipment, but took two years to deliver the equipment, forcing him to buy doughnuts from other bakeries and move them to his store, Mr. Mashinski said.
Efforts to reach Nicholas Tsioles were unsuccessful.
Contact the writer: bwellock@citizensvoice.com