The fight between Sriracha maker Huy Fong Foods and the City of Irwindale is far from over, as indicated by a lawsuit filed against the company last week. In it, the city claims that Huy Fong owes $427,086.76 in unpaid fees, which it agreed to pay in lieu of taxes back in 2010.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. City officials said they had hoped to avoid it but had no choice given the lack of cooperation on the part of the company.
"We tried many times to talk to them and we sent them written communication asking them to pay, but they have made it very clear that they will not pay," said City Attorney Fred Galante. "They hold negative feelings about the lawsuit we were forced to file a couple years ago."
Ahhh yes. That.
If you recall, Irwindale sued the company a few years ago after residents complained about smells emanating from its plant. The city eventually dropped the suit after the company threatened to leave the state. Huy Fong agreed to implement changes to reduce the odor and all was forgiven. Or so we thought.
Company CEO and founder David Tran issued a statement on the most recent lawsuit Friday, essentially admitting to the city's claims.
"From the very beginning, I offered to contribute $250,000 per year for 10 years for the benefit of the Irwindale community through the city of Irwindale," Tran said. "But because we had this odor issue where all five of the City Council members unanimously declared us a public nuisance, without real basis, I feel that Huy Fong Foods is being treated unfairly, so I stop the contributions."
So much for letting bygones by bygones.
Read more about the lawsuit here.
Image Credit: Flickr User stevendepolo, https://flic.kr/p/oaYh1b via (CC BY 2.0)