Judge Supports Clothestime’s Lease Protection From Rivals
A Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction Thursday to Clothestime Inc. to prevent a competing store in a Costa Mesa shopping center from selling discount women’s clothes.
A Clothestime attorney said the case may be the first of a half-dozen in Southern California aimed at cracking down on retailers who violate clauses in Clothestime’s leases granting exclusive right to sell women’s off-price clothes.
The ruling by Judge Robert A. Knox temporarily bars Jae Joon Kim and Jai June Rhee from selling discount women’s clothes at a store scheduled to open soon at the Costa Mesa Courtyards, at Harbor and Newport boulevards.
The suit, filed April 4, alleges that Kim and Rhee are violating a clause in Clothestime’s lease, which gives Clothestime exclusive rights to sell discount women’s apparel at the shopping center, said Richard Grabowski, an Irvine attorney representing the Anaheim-based women’s clothing chain.
The suit also names a chain of Fashionland stores as a defendant, Grabowski said.
Fashionland has opened in other shopping centers in direct competition with Clothestime, he said.
Michael T. Sinkov, a Los Angeles lawyer representing Kim and Rhee, said his clients have invested $100,000 in the Costa Mesa store.
He said that their store would be named Expo Casuals, not Fashionland, and that Rhee is a part owner in other Fashionland stores but does not plan to manage the Expo Casuals shop.
More to Read
Inside the business of entertainment
The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production — and what it all means for the future.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.