Investor Sues World of Beer In Dispute Over Key West Location

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alfa Professional HR Services, Inc., which recently acquired a controlling interest in the World of Beer location in Key West (www.worldofbeer.com/locations/key-west), has sued World of Beer Franchising, Inc.  In the complaint filed in Hillsborough Circuit Court yesterday, Alfa alleges that its acquisition of the franchisee, Craft Culture Key West, was approved in February during a meeting with World of Beer's highest-ranking corporate executives. It wasn't until nine weeks later that Alfa was told there were additional conditions to be met for approval, including payment of a fee to World of Beer, according to Jeff Conley, President of Alfa. "We were approved and this deal was done in February. Then a week after we started asking questions about the marketing fund, World of Beer told us for the first time that the approval wasn't really an approval," Connley said.

According to the lawsuit, the deal was approved by World of Beer president and CEO Paul Avery, vice president Robert Jarvis, chief development officer Ben Novello, and others. "We relied on their word as businessmen and immediately started funding the Key West location to save it from financial disaster," Connley added. Alfa has invested in excess of $400,000 in the Key West location, according to the complaint. 

Alfa's attorney, Richard A. Harrison, described this as "a pretty simple case." "When the company president, vice president and other officers look at you across a table and tell you the deal is done, the deal is done. If they now want it to be undone, they can buy my client out of the business."

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the deal approved based on the February meeting, or for monetary damages to make up for Alfa's investments in the Key West location. The case is Alfa Professional HR Services, Inc. v. World of Beer Franchising, Inc., Hillsborough County Circuit Court Case No. 14-CA-007943. A copy of the complaint is available upon request.  

Richard A. Harrison is an accomplished civil trial lawyer and the founder of Richard A. Harrison, P.A. (www.harrisonpa.com) in Tampa, Florida. He is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in City, County and Local Government Law. Harrison has represented individuals and organizations in a variety of complex civil cases. He is a graduate of Stetson University (B.A. 1982) and Stetson University College of Law (J.D. 1986), where he serves on the Board of Overseers and its Executive Committee and as an adjunct professor of law.

Media Contact:

Richard A. Harrison
Richard A. Harrison, P.A.
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SOURCE Richard A. Harrison, P.A.