AVONDALE — Former Warlord chef and co-owner Trevor Fleming’s abusive behavior has led to an estimated $1.4 million loss in revenue at the once-celebrated restaurant, according to a lawsuit filed last month by Fleming’s business partners.
Emily Kraszyk and John Lupton filed the case in Cook County Circuit Court on Feb. 19, the same day Block Club Chicago published an investigation detailing allegations Fleming abused women with whom he worked and had relationships.
The lawsuit — which also alleges Fleming took money from the restaurant’s company accounts even while he wasn’t working, as he faces criminal charges — provides a more detailed look into the tension at the restaurant, which had been one of Chicago’s trendiest before the controversies surrounding Fleming.
Sources told Block Club that Fleming has mistreated staff and women for years — and that it was widely known at the restaurant, including by Kraszyk and Lupton. The controversy came to a head in January after he was charged with sharing explicit images of a woman without her consent.
Fleming did not respond to requests for comment on this story, but he previously denied the allegations against him.
Kraszyk and Lupton publicly broke ranks with Fleming as news about the charge spread and as the restaurant and its three owners faced criticism from neighbors, elected officials, former employees and industry workers.
In a February statement, Kraszyk and Lupton said they have “remove[d] him from the partnership.” But business at Warlord has plummeted, the two allege in their lawsuit.
“Warlord was supposed to be a dream … [the owners] came together in 2021 [to] open a restaurant that would become one of the most celebrated dining destinations in Chicago,” Lupton and Kraszyk allege in their lawsuit. “But Trevor Fleming has turned that dream into a nightmare.”
Kraszyk and Lupton declined to comment outside of the complaint.
‘Brink Of Ruin’
Kraszyk and Lupton’s lawsuit alleges Fleming breached his fiduciary duties as an owner and managing member of the business by abusing employees and engaging in “criminal conduct that brought negative publicity” and steep financial damages to the restaurant and his business partners.
Kraszyk and Lupton want an injunction to bar Fleming from accessing company accounts and from entering the restaurant. They also seek to remove Fleming from the business, according to the complaint.
The filing alleges Fleming and his behavior have brought the restaurant at 3198 N. Milwaukee Ave. “to the brink of ruin.” Kraszyk and Lupton said the restaurant is at risk of insolvency, “jeopardizing the livelihoods of those who depend on Warlord.”
The losses began — albeit at a slower rate — in 2024, when abuse allegations against Fleming began to circulate online and at the restaurant, owners said. And since January, the restaurant has seen a roughly 46 percent decrease in revenue, according to the lawsuit.
Kraszyk and Lupton estimate Warlord has lost $1.4 million in revenue since “the 2024 impact of Fleming’s actions,” with the estimation including cancellations of coverage by notable national food publications that had planned to spotlight the restaurant, according to the lawsuit.
Block Club reporters observed 14 diners at the restaurant 7 p.m. Friday, and there were at least seven employees working, including Kraszyk and Lupton but not Fleming. Former employees said Warlord once saw about 180 people come through on Friday nights and staffed 13-18 front-of-house employees, including the chefs.
The restaurant opened in 2023 and took the local culinary scene by storm, with lines out the door and critics touting it as one of Chicago’s best restaurants. But now, its reputation, and those of Kraszyk and Lupton, have suffered, as their names have been dragged “through the mud,” the two allege in the complaint.
“Kraszyk and Lupton now face the unfair burden of being publicly associated with an individual charged with a felony sex crime and subject to multiple orders of protections for alleged domestic violence, despite having no involvement in Fleming’s wrongful conduct and the reliance on Fleming’s assertions that reprehensible behaviors had ceased and would not occur again,” according to the complaint.
The two co-owners have come under scrutiny for not doing enough in 2024 to remove Fleming after allegations about his behavior surfaced publicly.
Fleming was suspended for two weeks in summer 2024 after an abusive incident involving a former employee, other former employees said. Fleming said he “recognized the error of his ways” after the 2024 allegations and promised his business partners the behavior would not continue, according to the lawsuit.
Despite those promises, Fleming continued to engage in conduct that harmed the business, according to the complaint.
“Kraszyk and Lupton relied on Fleming’s assertions and promises and even joined in expressing their solidarity with Fleming based on those assertions, only to have that reliance and trust betrayed by Fleming’s behavior,” the two allege in complaint.
Kraszyk and Lupton previously told Block Club in a statement that Fleming broke their trust.
“Clearly our attempts to address this issue fell short, which is why we ultimately made the decision to take decisive action and remove him from the partnership as soon as we were legally able to under our operating agreement,” the two previously said. “We hold ourselves to a high standard and will learn from this experience and rebuild our relationship with a community that has been so generous and important to us.”
In the complaint, the co-owners said Fleming threatened to return to work at the restaurant last month, prompting them to file the lawsuit. Kraszyk and Lupton added that Fleming’s attorney told them the chef “expects to be continued to be compensated for his services as he has in the past.”
Current Warlord employees have threatened to quit en masse if Fleming returns, according to the complaint. His return would pose morale and safety concerns for employees and co-owners and further cause reputable harm in the community, Kraszyk and Lupton allege.
Fleming’s return would continue to “indulge in his own fantasy of relevance and his continued denial that his behavior has caused others substantial economic revenue … emotional distress and damage,” Kraszyk and Lupton allege in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also touches on investments and potential revenue lost after the owners dropped a proposed venture, Lords, after Fleming was charged in January and amid community pressure to abandon the planned restaurant.
Fleming previously told Block Club he still plans to open a restaurant, calling it “Allegedly’s,” apparently poking fun at the allegations against him. It’s unclear where that plan stands.
Each owner has a 33 percent equity share in the restaurant’s company, Diamond Hands LLC, per an operating agreement included in the lawsuit. While Fleming has 51 percent voting rights compared to 24.5 percent each for Kraszyk and Lupton, the latter two argue the disproportionate voting rights are void and unenforceable under Illinois law. They argue their combined equity of 66 percent should grant them majority control of the business so they can expel Fleming.
Kraszyk and Lupton are demanding a trial to rule on financial damages they can receive from Fleming, obtain a judicial determination that officially removes him from the business and a permanent injunction to safeguard the business and prohibit him from interfering with company operations or showing up to the restaurant.
Diamond Hands LLC was temporarily involuntarily dissolved by the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office for a few weeks after it failed to appoint a new registered agent within 90 days as required under state law, according to a spokesperson and public records.
Records show owners appointed themselves to act as the new agent on Friday, returning it to active status. Fleming’s name is still attached to the state LLC and the active city licenses.
Fleming has demanded a trial for the felony charge and was officially indicted last week, appearing in court virtually with his attorney. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance in that case on March 19.
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