To the Editor:
On May 5, the owner of the former Guilford Mooring Restaurant — The Guilford Mooring LLC — filed a lawsuit against James F. Kohn and 505 Whitfield LLC for breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, tortious interference with business expectancy, and violation of Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. The Town of Guilford was also named in the suit for tortious interference with contract, tortious interference with business expectancy, intentional misrepresentation, and violation of Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.
According to the complaint, Guilford Mooring LLC entered into an agreement of lease for property at 505 Whitfield Street on July 19, 2000, and that lease was valid until October 31, 2026 with two additional three-year option terms thereafter. In December 2024, they notified Kohn and 505 Whitfield LLC that they were “closing its restaurant business at the Property and intended to seek a third-party purchaser to acquire said restaurant business and assets and would assume the obligations of the tenant under the Lease.”
Despite this valid lease, Kohn and Whitfield signed a letter of intent with the Town of Guilford to purchase the property in January 2025, which prompted Guilford Mooring LLC to notify the Town of Guilford of the existence of the lease and their “intention of seeking a third-party purchaser” in February 2025. From January through May 2025, offers were received, but all “withdrew their offers based on acquiring knowledge of the Letter of Intent.”
The complaint also states that on March 23, Guilford Town Counsel Robert Leitze verbally notified Guilford Mooring LLC and its counsel that the Town intended to terminate the letter of intent, but upon written demand, failed to provide written confirmation that the letter of intent had been terminated and that Guilford no longer intended to purchase the property.
How can this happen? How incompetent is our Guilford Town Leadership?
Dave Holman
Guilford, CT