Bank seeks damages against ex-owner of Emperor of India King Thai restaurant
Wells Fargo sues Praveen Khurana, whose business was destroyed by fire in 2019
Wells Fargo is seeking damages from the former owner of a downtown Lewiston restaurant that was destroyed by fire.
The San Francisco-based bank filed a lawsuit against Praveen Khurana, along with his limited liability company, known as Top Restaurant Investment, and 10 John Does, for damages its downtown Lewiston branch office allegedly suffered as a result of the 2019 fire that destroyed Khurana’s Emperor of India King Thai restaurant.
The civil suit, filed in January, seeks more than $17,000 in damages and alleges Khurana’s restaurant was not maintained according to building codes and the fire was caused by “defendant’s negligent, careless and reckless failure to maintain the building.”
The building occupied a now-vacant lot adjacent to the Wells Fargo branch on the corner of Main and Ninth streets. The lawsuit alleges the bank suffered expensive smoke and water damage. In addition to the $17,134.45 Wells Fargo is seeking in damages, it’s also asking that Khurana be made to cover the bank’s attorney’s fees.
The bank filed a similar lawsuit in 2021 but later asked that the case be dismissed without prejudice.
The Idaho state fire marshal’s office listed the cause of the fire as “undetermined.” Following the fire, Khurana was charged with 22 zoning code violations for allegedly failing to clean the debris from the destroyed building. Following a series of back and forth legal maneuverings between Khurana and the city, the building was razed in 2022.
As of Wednesday, Khurana had not filed a response to the bank’s complaint.
Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.
