This food fight has ended up in court.
Organizers of the debauched Day & Night brunch bash are suing Daniel and Derek Koch, who up till recently were the faces of the popular event, for millions of dollars. They accuse the brothers of a series of management failures, stealing money and, most damningly, calling Dual Groupe Hospitality LLC head honcho Michael Wainstein “a racial epithet,” according to court documents obtained by Confidenti@l.
We reported in October that the Koch brothers had fallen out with Dual Groupe and Wainstein and were planning on starting a rival brunch, while Wainstein had moved the Saturday party to the Highline Ballroom. Dual Groupe, the money behind the Champagne-soaked party that’s been held in some of the hottest restaurants in New York City, the Hamptons and St. Barts, has now taken legal action against the brothers, who had hosted the event since it began five years ago at Merkato 55 restaurant.
The suit alleges that Derek Koch accepted a check in early September for $7,000, issued by a client for expenses relating to an event for top model agency Wilhelmina at Chateau, a restaurant in what used to be the Limelight club. According to the court papers, Koch cashed the check and kept between $2,800 and $4,700 for himself.
The documents say that on Sept. 4, Daniel Koch became “physically aggressive” and threatened Wainstein at a meeting, referring to him by the epithet. Confidenti@l has decided against printing the slur.
Daniel was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree assault and a count of harassment following an incident with a customer at Chateau in May, according to the complaint.
The Koch brothers are accused of running a smear campaign against Dual Groupe using social media, pressuring its clients and employees not to work with the company and misleadingly using the trademarked Day & Night name.
The brothers are also said to have “stolen sensitive client information” as well as computer files and furniture.
Jeremy Satkiewicz , a lawyer for the Koches, told Confidenti@l Sunday night: “My clients deny these allegations. Michael owes them hundreds of thousands of dollars. Appropriate counterclaims will be made. We are being courted by every major entertainment venue from New York to L.A. They couldn’t care less about Michael Wainstein."
A Dual Groupe rep declined to comment.
PRINCES OF POP PLAN MJ TRIBUTE
Michael Jackson’s nephews from the group 3T are preparing for a reunion to mark the fifth anniversary of the King of Pop’s death, a source exclusively tells Confidenti@l.
The group — made up of Tito Jackson ’s kids Tito Joe Jackson (TJ), Toriano Adaryll Jackson II (Taj) and Taryll Adren Jackson — has secretly worked on an album’s worth of new material.
The brothers plan to perform in Europe and the U.S. next summer. While they may not have made headlines for years, TJ stepped in as joint guardian for Jacko’s three kids alongside grandmother Katherine after Paris ’ suicide attempt.
3T was a big deal back in the mid-’90s, when it was presented as the new boy band to rival the Backstreet Boys and ’N Sync. The guys had a few hits, including “Anything” and “Why,” which was a duet with their uncle.
“Taj, Taryll and TJ believe they have a sound and appeal which would make them a success all over again,” our source tells us.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009: REMEMBERING THE KING OF POP
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL WITH A FAMOUS NAME
Madonna ’s daughter, Lourdes , has been cast as Betty Rizzo in the LaGuardia High School production of “Grease,” sources tell Confidenti@l. Stockard Channing played the gum-chewing, wisecracking Rizzo, who led the Pink Ladies at Rydell High, in the 1978 film. Lourdes enrolled in the prestigious high school in 2010 and met her boyfriend, “Homeland” actor Timothee Chalamet , there. We expect to see the Material Girl humming along to “Greased Lightnin’ ” come premiere time.
A PIC THAT’LL BE WORTH 1,000 WORDS
Richie Sambora is a fun guy to ask for a happy snap with. The Bon Jovi lead guitarist was in the VIP Trophy Lounge at the Breeder’s Cup at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., Saturday when a male fan asked if he’d pose for a photo with him. According to our spywitness, Sambora agreed and then, as a friend of the fan took the shot, told him: “You’re going to get laid now.”
PHOTOS: BON JOVI IN CENTRAL PARK
BIG STEP FOR PAMELA
She used to do a great job running across the beach in “Baywatch,” but how did Pamela Anderson do in the NYC Marathon on Sunday? She told The News in September, “I really haven’t attacked the running thing. I’ve never been a runner. I’ve never even run across the street hardly before.” As it turned out, the busty blond beauty managed to cross the finish line in 5:41:03, and in the process raised almost $76,000 for Haiti.
BIEB PAYS THE PRICE
World-class brat Justin Bieber sure knows how to charm the ladies. The “Baby” singer was photographed being hustled out of a whorehouse in Brazil on Friday, bizarrely covered in a sheet. A Panamanian hooker told respected Spanish newspaper Cronicas that the singer paid her $500 for sex and that the pair smoked weed. The prostitute alleged that Bieber’s manhood wasn’t “a very big or very small one. I believe it was so-so. Medium. I didn’t say, ‘Whoa!’ ” A rep for Bieber declined to comment.
PHOTOS: BIEBER FEVER: JUSTIN BIEBER THROUGH THE YEARS
DINNER AND QUITE A SHOW
Renee Graziano had an epic catfight with “Mob Wives” newcomer Alicia DiMichele during filming for the series. Our spywitness says things got so nasty and loud during filming at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in the Meatpacking District, patrons could hear the ruckus even though the shoot was in a private room behind closed doors. The expletive-laced shouting match was incited by Graziano’s accusation that DiMichele was having an affair with her husband. We wonder if they made up after the beef.
A SNEAK PEEK AT SANKEYS
Legendary British club Sankeys landed in Midtown on Thursday and rocked the city with an epic opening weekend of parties. American house legend DJ Sneak took to the wheels of steel Saturday and had hands in the air into the early hours. He later tweeted: “Sankeys NYC had it going on last night. Great grand opening bringing the vibe back into the city. Looking forward to many nights 2014.” Next weekend the club — founded in Manchester, with an Ibiza outpost — has Derrick Carter spinning.
SEEN & HEARD ...
Michael Strahan , along with his fiancée, Nicole Murphy , celebrating his twin daughters Sophia and Isabella ’s ninth birthday at Serendipity 3 ... Aziz Ansari, Scott Lipps, Alan Rish and Alexandra Richards at Matt Kliegman and Carlos Quirarte ’s Halloween party in a parking garage in Chelsea ... New York Giant Antrel Rolle partying at a table in the American Airlines Arena nightclub Hyde after the Miami Heat’s season-opening victory … Geraldo Rivera will host a party for Mike Walker ’s new book, “Out for Blood,” on Monday at Ivy Bar and Grill.
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