After a weekend of goodbyes and jubilation as Rudy’s bar prepared to leave its Elm Street haunt, cops arrived to settle a dispute between landlord and departing tenant.
The dispute arose Tuesday afternoon between Rudy’s owner Omer Ipek and his landlord, Tuen Pang Chen, over the removal of air conditioning units at the bar at 372 Elm St.
The police advised Ipek to leave the air conditioning behind as he leaves the premises.
The storied tavern is moving down the street to Chapel and Howe after 76 years on Elm Street. Rudy’s had been renting the building since 1992 from its neighbors at Main Garden, a Chinese food restaurant next door. Through an LLC called Hang Seng Inc., Chan owns the Main Garden address as well as 372 Elm. The Rudy’s lease expired at the end of last month; the two parties couldn’t agree on terms of a new one.
As Rudy’s moved out, landlord and tenant debated one last question: Who owns the air conditioners?
Police got involved Tuesday when Ipek and his crew allegedly began attempting to remove pieces of the air conditioning system, according to police and Main Garden spokesperson Sheldon Chan.
Ipek and his crew were packing up and removing the rest of Rudy’s property, loading other items like a chalkboard used to announce upcoming musical performances into a flatbed truck throughout the afternoon and night. They also wanted to take the cooling system.
That became a sticking point.
“It was something the previous owner bought and gave to me for the business,” Ipek said.
Sheldon Chan (pictured) disagreed. He said the system belongs to Tuen Pang Chan and belongs in the building. Its removal would cause property damage, Chan said, and the police will be checking Wednesday whether all parts of the unit are still present and intact. This he explained from the window of a car driven by Tuen Pang Chan, who uses a translator to communicate in English.
Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, four police officers stood casually chatting with Ipek outside his store as he leaned against the railing of property that is no longer his to use. No arrests were made. Police advised Ipek to leave the unit behind.
Whoever owns the A/C system, it is a civil issue, not a criminal one, the cops told the Independent.
After the officers were gone, Ipek rebutted his neighbor’s accusation.
“They’re lying to the cops,” he said. “I told him to go and get the building report and see where it says that and he couldn’t,” he said.
However, he said he plans to leave the A/C units in place.