White Castle sues landscapers for $1.8M in fire that hurt workers, damaged restaurant

White Castle has filed a lawsuit against two contractors claiming landscapers touched off a fire in Elizabeth that caused $1.8 million in damages and injured two employees inside the restaurant.
The lawsuit filed in Superior Court of Union County alleges negligence and claims the landscapers are responsible for sparking a blaze at the White Castle in the 600 block of Westfield Avenue on April 29, 2022.
The companies are identified in court papers as Boss Landscaping LLC, of Monroe Township, and Cutting Edge Seasonal Maintenance LLC, of Howell Township.
Michael J. Notartomas, an attorney representing Cutting Edge Seasonal Maintenance, said Tuesday he cannot comment on pending litigation. Representatives of Boss Landscaping did not respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit does not describe how the fire started, and the attorneys for White Castle did not return a call seeking comment.
ABC7ny.com reported on the day of the fire that a maintenance worker and employee were burned after a substance some of the landscapers were using got into the electrical system and caused an explosion.
According to the complaint, White Castle contracted with Cutting Edge Seasonal Maintenance in March 2022 for lawn maintenance at its Elizabeth location.
The agreement, which included a clause requiring Cutting Edge to indemnify White Castle for any liability arising from the work, was breached when Cutting Edge subcontracted portions of the job to Boss Landscaping, according to the lawsuit.
White Castle losses included $667,686.92 in property damage, $1,093,544 in lost profits, and $17,350 in workers’ compensation for the injured employees, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed on April 18. Attorneys for Cutting Edge Seasonal Maintenance filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on Oct. 21, stating that White Castle has failed to respond to their questions about the case.
A hearing on the motion to dismiss is scheduled for Nov. 22.
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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.