An attorney representing the son of the late founders of Lucy's El Adobe Cafe, who is embroiled in a fight with his sister over his handling of the family trust, told a judge Monday that his client is seeking the removal of the current temporary trustee.
Lawyer Jose Castillo, on behalf of Frank James Casado, brought a motion to remove attorney Tatianna Metters from the position. Metters was appointed to the role previously by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Debora Christian, who suspended Frank Casado from the position in a dispute over whether he had provided an accounting of trust assets.
But Christian told Castillo that the court action must be brought as a petition rather than a motion. She gave him until Nov. 8 to file the petition and set another hearing for Aug. 9.
Frank Casado's suspension as temporary trustee was backed by his sister, Patricia Anne Casado. The siblings' mother, Lucy Casado, died on May 2, 2017, at age 91. She and her husband, Frank Casado, who died in 1990, established the Melrose Avenue cafe, across the street from Paramount Pictures in 1964.
By the early '70s, the Hollywood eatery was known as a hangout for celebrities, politicians and rock stars.
The Casados had three children: Patricia, Frank James and Daryl Morrie Casado, who was mentally and physically disabled and died on June 18, 2017.
Their daughter worked at the restaurant from its inception until 2014, according to her court papers, which allege that her brother canceled their mother's private insurance in 2012, when she was 86 years old, and left her with Medicare coverage only. Two years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had tumors removed, her daughter's court papers state.
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The Lucy Casado Trust was created in November 2015 and gave Frank James Casado the "lion's share" of his mother's assets, including the cafe, the land under it and four additional properties, all worth about $15 million, according to the daughter's court papers.
Frank James Casado testified in August 2018 that he has not paid any estate taxes even though his mother died more than a year ago, according to his sister's court papers.
Lucy's El Adobe was where a young Gov. Jerry Brown met singer Linda Ronstadt, launching a 1970s tabloid romance that put the famous pair on the cover of Newsweek.
Jackson Browne, Jimmy Webb, J.D. Souther, and Don Henley and Glenn Frey of the Eagles also stopped by frequently, while presidential hopefuls made it a point to visit when in town, including then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Sens. Robert Kennedy and Robert Dole and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
