Consumer Law, Warranties Trying to force me out of business

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2own1sbus

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Bought a business, from someone that is trying to force me out or make things hard, If I don't make it in this business he gets it back, plus the money I have invested is lost to him, He sold his other bar across town, moved in two doors down and opened another bar.
He is my closest competitor, after moving in and opened s his doors for 7AM bringing his crowd from the bar that was across town. Customers have told me that he has mentioned in front of them that I would be out of business within a year
Same day we were celebrating our first year anniversary and grand opening he put a sign out in front of his bar offering any canned beer for 50 cent a can which would be below f or some and at cost for others. Just last weekend we were having a Pajama Party at my place when one of my people noticed he was putting a folding temporary sign up right on the edge of the entrance to the parking lot between our two bars but closer to mine than his, obviously advertising Pajama Party and 50 cent cans again. I could not take it any other way than that he was trying to pull business his way especially since he just had a Pajama Party the week before. In fact the day he was having his Pajama Party him and a bunch of his cronies came to my bar , I only had a few people in my place that night but and I could tell his female bartenders were flirting with a couple of guys that came to my bar before them trying to encourage them to go down to his place. He has recently been indicted for arson (tried to start the building next door to his bar on fire) it just so happens to be the only building on the block he does not own.


:D
 
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Do you have a legal question? Sounds like you think he is breaching your contract - but unless you have a non-compete, maybe he's not. Sounds like you think there's some unfair competition, but it's not clear why - bars are notoriously cutthroat.
Bought a business, from someone that is trying to force me out or make things hard, If I don't make it in this business he gets it back, plus the money I have invested is lost to him,
Why does he get it back if you fail? What kind of contract did you enter into?
 
In the beginning i new nothing of the business and he told me he would help me make, in fact garunteed i would make a thousand off the machines alone. I think he is very unfair competition,when he sold to me he said he was dieing so he wanted to sell his 3 bars and retire, he definitly wanted out. Since i've had the bar he has done nothing to give me the impression he's getting out. I'm not familiar with business law, things such as non compete clauses. I was wondering if i had any ground to stand on for some type of legal action against him? We did good business til he moved in next door.
 
I still owe him a lot of money for what i purchased, with ten years to pay it off. If we do not finish paying it off by failing it will go to nobody but him.
 
A non-compete is a part of the contract that says after he sells you the bar he won't open up a competing business next door (or within a reasonable distance). If you didn't get one, you might be screwed. Maybe a non-compete would be implied (it's not written, but you orally agreed to it and he's bound), or maybe he made some other promises that aren't written but form part of the contract and he's bound by them. I suggest you talk to a lawyer as soon as possible.

Did you have legal representation, or at least take the contract to a lawyer for independent advice before you signed on? It sounds like you may have entered a very bad deal.
 
When i first talked about purchasing the bar i told him i tried a few other things and they did not pan out, i couldn't afford to fail. In his words he told me he would make sure i did not fail. It's not written but he did say it. We had to get a lawyer to get incorporated and i'm sure he saw the contract. Just last night one of my former employees (she managed for me)told me she was at his bar and he told her he would like her to come and manage for him when he takes over my bar. I'm not a penny behind on anything and take good care of his building i've been renting from him but it sure looks like he's up to something no good.
 
Without knowing all the details it is impossible to say whether he is doing anything improper. Frankly I'm not optimistic - competition is encouraged. A few possibilities come to mind (maybe an implied non-compete, maybe a breach of a duty of good faith) but you need to talk to a lawyer.
 
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