A property owner is seeking to evict the operators of Plenty on Bell, a longtime Los Alamos restaurant, alleging unpaid rent, property neglect and lease violations.
The unlawful detainer case was filed Oct. 27 in Santa Barbara County Superior Court by Rowles Holdings LLC, which owns the building at 508 Bell St. The filing followed a series of September notices, including two 10-day demands to pay rent and a final 10-day notice to vacate, according to court records.
The complaint accuses Plenty on Bell’s owners, Jesper Johansson and Christine Gallagher, of breaching their lease by failing to maintain required insurance, denying access to contractors and refusing to pay more than $55,000 in repair-related charges.
Rowles Holdings LLC, owned by Noah Rowles, is seeking to terminate the lease and recover additional rent, penalties and fees that bring the total claimed damages to more than $85,000, according to court documents.
Gallagher, who became a co-owner of Plenty on Bell in 2019, said the lawsuit followed what she called months of “unreasonable demands” from Rowles after he purchased the building. County property records show it changed hands in March.
“He immediately started putting a lot of pressure on us financially, and it just accelerated over time,” Gallagher told Noozhawk.
One of the central allegations in the lawsuit is that Plenty on Bell failed to maintain the required liability insurance, which Rowles Holdings argues was a breach of the lease and created added risk.
According to the lawsuit, the lease includes a penalty clause that adds 10% to the base rent for each month insurance requirements are not met. The unlawful detainer case claims those penalties began in July and that $945 remained unpaid as of September.
Gallagher denied the allegation, saying the restaurant has been fully insured without interruption.
“That’s not true at all,” she said. “Plenty has had a very solid insurance plan with State Farm since 2015.”
She said Rowles’ legal team combed through the policy after purchasing the building and pointed to a small deductible clause as justification for the breach.
“It was one minor detail about a deductible on a minor clause in the insurance,” Gallagher said. “We fixed it, and he knows that.”
Although Plenty on Bell’s lease was extended through September 2027 by the previous landlord, Sean McGrath, before his death, the lawsuit challenges the validity of that extension. Rowles Holdings argues that the lease modification was conditional and never took effect because the restaurant was allegedly in default at the time.
Lawsuit Wants Money for Repairs
In addition to the insurance dispute, the lawsuit accuses Plenty on Bell of refusing to pay more than $55,000 for maintenance and repair work.
According to court filings, Rowles Holdings alleges that the restaurant failed to comply with a formal notice demanding payment and denied access to contractors hired to perform roofing, plumbing, HVAC and landscaping work.
Gallagher said the work has not been completed and should not be the restaurant’s responsibility. She said many of the invoices were never approved and argued that several of the repair demands originated from an inspection report during the property purchase.
“They’re not things that have ever been presented to us as problems, and they’re not problems,” she said.
Gallagher said the property was sold below its initial asking price, which she described as a bargain given the building’s age and the fact that it already had active tenants.
“You bought a building as-is,” she recalled telling Rowles. “You can’t then say we need to pay for all these so-called repairs.”
The lawsuit names Gallagher and Johansson personally as defendants, in addition to the business.
According to the lawsuit, both are named as defendants because they each executed Personal Guaranties of Lease, making them “jointly, severally, unconditionally and irrevocably” liable for Plenty’s financial obligations.
Gallagher said they were forced to hire a litigator, significantly increasing legal costs.
“The game is, of course, to just bleed us financially of legal fees in my opinion,” she said.
Local Support
Gallagher said the restaurant has drawn an outpouring of support from customers and fellow business owners in Los Alamos, many of whom view Plenty on Bell as a neighborhood fixture.
“Our ace card now, and all that we have left, is the town rallying — and they have been,” she said. “I just haven’t been very vocal about it until now.”
After initially resisting offers of financial help, Gallagher said they decided to accept community aid and organize a fundraiser.
The event is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at Plenty on Bell, 508 Bell St. in Los Alamos, with proceeds going toward the restaurant’s legal defense.
