Winding Brook Indoor Shooting Range re-opened in August. (Michael Schwartz)
A court case has cleared some of the air around a briefly shuttered and recently revived Ashland shooting range.
The landlord of the short-lived Blue Ridge Arsenal location at 11547 Lake Ridge Parkway in the Winding Brook development was awarded a judgment this week in Hanover General District Court, stemming from a dispute with its former tenant.
The $5 million facility closed in late July after less than a year in business, after Blue Ridge Arsenal fell behind on its rent. The property’s landlords have since taken control and reopened the building as Winding Brook Indoor Shooting Range.
On Tuesday, Judge David B. Caddell ruled that the property ownership group is owed $774,000 by Blue Ridge Arsenal and owner Earl Curtis. The bulk of that amount is related to a clause in the lease that stated if the tenant defaulted, they owe an additional year’s rent.
The judge ruled that Curtis, the guarantor on the lease, would be on the hook for that amount. That came after an eleventh hour bankruptcy filing by the lessee, Blue Ridge Arsenal at Winding Brook LLC, froze all court proceedings against it.
Tuesday’s hearing was the result of a May 9 lawsuit filed by the landlords, alleging Blue Ridge Arsenal was illegally occupying the building after owing $150,000 in unpaid rent.
Hirschler Fleischer attorneys Jaime Wisegarver and Webb Moore represented the landlords, a group that includes businessman Robert Alvarez.
From the witness stand, Alvarez said they terminated the lease on July 18 and took possession of the building July 20.
Neither the defendant, Earl Curtis, nor his lawyer Robert Naftal were present at the hearing. Blue Ridge Arsenal continues to run its original location in Northern Virginia. Moore said that after contacting Naftal in the spring, it seemed the former tenants were trying to sell the company.
“Naftal said they were in discussions with a potential buyer for the business,” Moore said. “They were … working with Bass Pro to purchase the gun range.”
The initial Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing listed roughly 400 individuals as creditors. The landlords have said they’ll honor memberships paid by former Blue Ridge Arsenal customers.
Blue Ridge Arsenal Inc. has until Sept. 29 to file an appeal.
Winding Brook Indoor Shooting Range re-opened in August. (Michael Schwartz)
A court case has cleared some of the air around a briefly shuttered and recently revived Ashland shooting range.
The landlord of the short-lived Blue Ridge Arsenal location at 11547 Lake Ridge Parkway in the Winding Brook development was awarded a judgment this week in Hanover General District Court, stemming from a dispute with its former tenant.
The $5 million facility closed in late July after less than a year in business, after Blue Ridge Arsenal fell behind on its rent. The property’s landlords have since taken control and reopened the building as Winding Brook Indoor Shooting Range.
On Tuesday, Judge David B. Caddell ruled that the property ownership group is owed $774,000 by Blue Ridge Arsenal and owner Earl Curtis. The bulk of that amount is related to a clause in the lease that stated if the tenant defaulted, they owe an additional year’s rent.
The judge ruled that Curtis, the guarantor on the lease, would be on the hook for that amount. That came after an eleventh hour bankruptcy filing by the lessee, Blue Ridge Arsenal at Winding Brook LLC, froze all court proceedings against it.
Tuesday’s hearing was the result of a May 9 lawsuit filed by the landlords, alleging Blue Ridge Arsenal was illegally occupying the building after owing $150,000 in unpaid rent.
Hirschler Fleischer attorneys Jaime Wisegarver and Webb Moore represented the landlords, a group that includes businessman Robert Alvarez.
From the witness stand, Alvarez said they terminated the lease on July 18 and took possession of the building July 20.
Neither the defendant, Earl Curtis, nor his lawyer Robert Naftal were present at the hearing. Blue Ridge Arsenal continues to run its original location in Northern Virginia. Moore said that after contacting Naftal in the spring, it seemed the former tenants were trying to sell the company.
“Naftal said they were in discussions with a potential buyer for the business,” Moore said. “They were … working with Bass Pro to purchase the gun range.”
The initial Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing listed roughly 400 individuals as creditors. The landlords have said they’ll honor memberships paid by former Blue Ridge Arsenal customers.
Blue Ridge Arsenal Inc. has until Sept. 29 to file an appeal.