A New Westminster mall has escalated its demand for unpaid rent from a former tenant, taking the matter to court.
The Royal City Shopping Centre, the uptown mall on 6th Avenue, claims Fresh for Less Clothing owes more than $23,000 in unpaid rent in a lawsuit recently filed with the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
The claims have not yet been proven in court, and none of the defendants has filed a response.
Along with Fresh for Less, the lawsuit also names Victoria man Faizel Kathrada and Scarborough, Ont. woman Luna Vince as defendants, saying the two were financially liable for the store.
The mall, which works out of an administrative office in Richmond, entered a five-year lease agreement with Fresh for Less on Nov. 25, 2015, but the lease only lasted three years.
The mall claims that, at an unspecified point in time, the shop failed to pay rent and other charges due to the mall, so officials with the mall issued a notice on Oct. 30 demanding the shop pay up. By Nov. 27, 2018, the mall claims it still had not received payment and cancelled the lease to Fresh for Less.
Officials with the shopping centre claim the amount due was $23,066 as of July 16 this year, and the mall is also seeking interest.
