‘Stolen not saved': Barbs fly in fight over sale of the Gaso
But the landlord has dismissed James Martelletti's claims as rubbish and said issues only rose when Martelletti requested changes to the lease.
Earlier this week The Age revealed chef and restaurateur Scott Pickett bought the leasehold of 'the Gaso' at the corner of Smith Street and Alexandra Parade after it closed down.
Pickett said he would continue to operate the pub as a live music venue, scotching fears it would be turned into a gastro pub or apartments.
However, Martelletti – the pub's former lessee who operated the Gasometer until it closed in March – has blasted the landlord over the sale of the lease to Pickett.
'Probably a little easier to establish a business when you start by stiffing the previous owners out of around $250k,' he posted on Instagram on Wednesday night on The Gasometer's Instagram account, which he still has control of.
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'Landlords being greedy landlords they decided to refuse our perfectly reasonable offer for another party to take over the business with the name and other business assets which lead to us losing the sale price, paying for liquidation and having to make our staff redundant,' he wrote. 'This is no longer the Gaso, this is a cheap shady imitation who have decided to shit on its legacy instead of support it. Stolen not saved.'
Martelletti said he did not own any trademarks around the Gasometer, just the trading name the Gasometer Hotel, and said he likely had no legal recourse but wanted to 'shame them for attempting to steal our goodwill off us with zero compensation'.
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