A dispute over sports bars at a Huntsville-area mixed-use development has landed in court with allegations of fraud and breach of contract.

Jonathan’s Grille opened a location at Clift Farms on U.S. 72 just outside the Madison city limits with the promise from developer Louis Breland that no other sports bar would be brought to the development, according to the lawsuit filed by Jonathan’s Grille and its land purchasing agent, Revelette Enterprises.

In October, the lawsuit said, the plaintiffs learned that developers were planning to bring a second sports bar to Clift Farms. The development’s website lists Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux as “coming soon” to Clift Farms. There is no mention of a location coming at Clift Farms on the Walk-On’s website. The only new location planned in Alabama is in Opelika, according to the website.

Former NFL All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees is listed as a co-owner and partner of Walk-On’s on its website.

Revelette Enterprises LLC and Jonathan’s Grille-Clift Farm LLC filed the lawsuit Dec. 30. Clift Home Place LLC and Breland Companies LLC were named as defendants. The five counts of the lawsuit are promissory fraud, breach of express contract, fraudulent misrepresentation, deceit and breach of implied contract. Birmingham attorney Danielle Douglas filed the lawsuit on behalf of Revelette and Jonathan’s Grille.

The lawsuit does not state specific monetary damages sought by the plaintiffs. The lawsuit states that Revelette spent about $1.2 million to purchase the land at Clift Farms for Jonathan’s Grille and more than $2.8 million in renovation/build-out costs to construct and open the sports bar.

Breland Companies had no comment about the lawsuit when contacted Wednesday. The defendants have not yet filed a response to the lawsuit in Madison County circuit court.

According to the lawsuit, Revelette in March 2019 agreed to purchase property at Clift Farms for Jonathan’s Grille. During a 90-day due diligence period after the property sale was agreed to, Revelette said the defendants said they “would not lease or sell land within the development to a competing sports bar, namely Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux.”

This assurance, the lawsuit said, came in a conversation between Revelette owner Curt Revelette and Breland Companies owner Louis Breland. Accompanying the lawsuit were a series of emails included as exhibits that the plaintiffs maintain gives assurances a second sports bar would not be brought to Clift Farms. The emails also indicated that Walk-On’s had been told by developers it could not lease space at Clift Farms.

The emails also indicate that Revelette discussed opening a Jonathan’s Grille at Town Madison – another mixed-use project developed by Breland in Madison.

A letter, also accompanying the lawsuit, from Jonathan’s Grille to Breland Companies on Nov. 2, 2022, raised concerns about Clift Farms’ plan to bring Walk-On’s to the development.