On the heels of numerous controversies and tons of Beverly Hills gossip, Villa Blanca has gone on the market according to Effie Magazine! According to Effie Staff, “Villa Blanca had begun to show signs of wear and tear; the peeling paint, damaged furniture and less than efficient staff left some B. H. socialites scowling and wondering…” It’s a quiet pocket listing (um, oopsy) with no advertised price but it is definitely on the market at least to be leased!

The announcement of the sale/leasing opportunity comes less than a month after a judge ruled that not just Villa Blanca, but Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd as individuals were liable for punitive damages to former waitress Karina Bustillos in the amount of $100,000 and her attorney’s fees that could be in the high six figures given the length of the legal battle.

Villa Blanca has had many issues with their health inspections, staff complaints, social media reports of cardboard in salads… basically, when SUR began, Villa Blanca took a back seat and now with PUMP taking up so much time, it probably is time to sell Villa Blanca even if it was running more smoothly. I recall a commenter here sharing a report that she was at Villa Blanca a few months back to celebrate her birthday on a Friday night and that business was slow. Business can’t be slow for a restaurant in the middle of Beverly Hills on a Friday night and survive. It’s probably time for new owners and a new makeover.

As of today, Ken and Lisa have NOT filled an appeal on the ruling. They have another 30 days to file. I really don’t know if they will bother to continue the legal battle. If they do and they lose, they only have to pay more in attorney’s fees. While the damages are considerable, I would cut my losses if in their position. That said, the CPA for Villa Blanca testified that Villa Blanca had $1.4 million in assets in 2012. It seems like putting the place on the market after all the assets and liabilities have been stated under oath would hamper the profit margin. I keep thinking that Lisa and Todd have really bad legal counsel. Like, really bad.

It’s likely that they can’t afford the lease after paying out to Bustillos. They should consider it a lesson learned and focus on SUR and P.U.M.P. Regardless of what the property sells/leases for, the saving in rent will not offset their punitive damages, the rest will have to come out of their pockets!

You can see my exclusively sourced reporting on the Bustillos case here.

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