Cry me a river … of sewage!
Pop star Justin Timberlake’s Italian restaurant Destino was forced out of business by ruptured plumbing that spewed human waste on the walls, the former restaurant partners reveal for the first time in a new lawsuit against their insurance company.
The celebrity-friendly eatery, which the “Sexy Back” singer opened in 2006 with two partners at First Avenue and 50th Street, was twice flooded with raw sewage, according to the the Manhattan civil suit filed Tuesday.
“On any given night the dining room swelled with a mix of executives, neighborhood regulars and celebrities, all enjoying the superb food and drink,” Destino’s lawyer says in the suit against Amguard Insurance Co.
“The Destino restaurant not only served great food, but had wonderful atmosphere,” according to the filing.
That changed in July 2013 when illegal plumbing pipes ruptured above the restaurant, drenching the walls and premises with human waste, the suit alleges.
The insurance company rushed Destino to reopen in November 2013, the suit claims, but a few days after re-launching, a pipe fell from the basement ceiling and drenched a recently stocked food area with sewage, which led to a mold infestation.
Reports on the eatery closing down had pegged it to mere flooding problems.
Headed by former Rao chef Mario Curko, Destino regularly hosted celebrity clientele including Carlos Beltran and Bill Cosby.
The insurer denied Destino’s claims, including $275,000 for repair and unspecified business losses.
A rep for Amguard did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.