Photo: Scott Blair for ENR

The Castro Theatre renovation, which added a new sound and HVAC system, involved much careful restoration work. An arbitration of final costs is scheduled.

As it was about to start an arbitration of final payments on a complex theater renovation, the entertainment company that leases San Francisco's landmark Castro Theatre has filed a state court trademark violation lawsuit seeking to bar the contractor from publicizing as a success its work for the owner on that and other projects.

A spokesman for Another Planet Entertainment, which paid the cost of the renovation, claimed his client had previously sought arbitration for the contractor's "deficient and defective work" on the former movie palace. The trademark infringement and false advertisement lawsuit filed in state court in San Francisco seeks to bar the project's main contractor, Alarcon Bohm, from featuring photos of the Castro and other projects for Another Planet on its website and in social media.

In a press release announcing the lawsuit, Another Planet claims the Castro Theater project had roof leaks and other flaws, billings were "excessive" and subcontractors have gone unpaid. The press release noted that the prime contract involved a guaranteed maximum price, and CEO Gregg W. Perloff said that his company should not have to absorb the cost of the needed fixes.

Deputy Editor Richard Korman helps run ENR's business and legal news and investigations, selects ENR's commentary and oversees editorial content on ENR.com. In 2023 the American Society of Business Publication Editors awarded Richard the Stephen Barr Award, the highest honor for a single feature story or investigation, for his story on the aftermath of a terrible auto crash in Kentucky in 2019, and in 2015 the American Business Media awarded him the Timothy White Award for investigations of surety fraud and workplace bullying. A member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Richard has been a fellow on drone safety with the McGraw Center for Business Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Richard's freelance writing has appeared in the Seattle Times, the New York Times, Business Week and the websites of The Atlantic and Salon.com. He admires construction projects that finish on time and budget, compensate all team members fairly and record zero fatalities or serious injuries.