The trouble doesn’t stop on Capitol Hill for the family of businesses around the financially troubled and shuttered E Olive Way speakeasy By the Pound.

Partners and companies related to the shuttered bar concept evicted late last year over thousands of unpaid rent are also named in lawsuits related to West Seattle ventures Vine & Spoon and Alchemy which were also evicted over claims of unpaid rent to end the year. West Seattle Blog reports they “spoke briefly at the end of last week with an ownership representative who said they had a new investor who would assist them in reopening, and they promised to call us back to talk more about their plans.”

That call never came,” WSB reports.

It’s a similar story CHS heard when talking with one of the people named in the lawsuits. Ali Olyaie told CHS that he has been By the Pound’s promoter and not an owner but that the bar was still being planned to reopen. “We opened three restaurants. Capitol Hill was supposed to be a speakeasy behind a deli but the bar was too small and the deli just wasn’t doing well,” he said. Olyaie said there was too much effort to walk away including “hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours.”

In addition to the lawsuits against the various corporations behind the Capitol Hill and West Seattle projects, Olyaie is also being sued by a design firm that claims he owes nearly $60,000 for unpaid services. That case is set to go to trial early this year.

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