The two men behind Myth, the Maplewood nightclub that closed last week, are locked in a dispute over control of the club, and creditors have filed court documents demanding more than $16 million. The developments cast doubt over the owner's intention to reopen the club soon.
The legal actions include a foreclosure notice on the building and court-ordered judgments of more than $3.3 million, according to documents filed in Ramsey County District Court. At least five lawsuits have been filed since July 1.
Myth founder Michael Ogren said he owns the building and controls the nightclub's business. He said that last month he began leasing the club to a group that said it intended to buy it later. After it stopped paying the club's bills, Ogren said, he evicted the group on Wednesday. He has said that he intends to reopen Sept. 1 and that he's looking to sell the club.
The foreclosure action didn't close Myth, Ogren said Monday. "Myth closed because the previous tenants were evicted for not paying bills. Like others in the economy, I'm trying to negotiate with lenders," he said.
Steven Sadowski, the potential buyer, disagreed.
"That's not even remotely close to the truth," he said.
Sadowski said that he took control in July of the business that operates the venue and does not have any responsibilities for Ogren's debt.
Sadowski closed Myth, he said, because there wasn't enough money to keep it operating and he didn't want to take on Ogren's liabilities. He originally was trying to recoup more than $3 million of a loan he made to Ogren for a defunct gambling website. Ogren offered Sadowski 10,000 shares of the business that controls the club as collateral, and Sadowski said he exercised an option to take control but not purchase the shares.
