LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A lawsuit claims the owner of a local restaurant has been "cooking the books."
The suit was filed last week by the Kentucky Derby Museum against Steve Clements, owner of the Avalon restaurant and Clements Catering, which served patrons of the museum.
Click HERE to view a copy of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims Clements underreported profits made by his catering service by more than $780,000, so he wouldn't have to pay the Derby Museum its cut of the proceeds.
Clements allegedly perpetrated the scheme by creating two invoices each month.
"One invoice reflected the actual billing to the customer, while the second invoice was prepared to support the amount reported to the museum on the monthly compensation reports," the suit states.
At one point, the receipts were underreported by as much as 34 percent, the museum claims. The museum allegedly lost over $100,000 in the scheme.
The museum terminated its relationship with Clements last month, and Avalon has since been closed.
The lawsuit accuses Clements of fraud and breach of contract, and -- among other things -- demands that he turn over money for attorney fees, as well as client information and the alleged lost profits, along with an 18 percent late fee.
WDRB News has attempted to contact Steve Clements to get his side of the story, but he has not returned our calls.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
