Justin Timberlake's Former Restaurant, Destino, Now Blames Closure on Sewage Floods

Remember Destino, the Midtown Italian restaurant once owned in part by Justin Timberlake? It had a former Rao's chef at the helm, and was a favorite of local celebs before it closed in 2013. Longtime readers may also remember that it closed more than once due to flooding over the years. Well now a new lawsuit reveals that it was not your run of the mill water leak that caused these closures. Oh no, it was raw sewage running down the walls of the restaurant.

Now one of the owners is suing the restaurant's insurance company, for allegedly rushing the restaurant to reopen after the first flooding incident, when illegal pipes above the restaurant burst, "drenching the walls and premises with human waste," as the Post so delicately puts it. The rush to reopen, according to the suit, meant that a few days later, a pipe fell from the basement ceiling, again spewing sewage, this time all over a newly-stocked food storage area. That then led to a mold infestation. The insurance company then denied Destino's claims for $275,000 for damage and unspecified business losses.

Update: A representative clarifies that JT hasn't been an owner since 2007, before the above flooding occurred.