Former Pizza Hut magnate Lundy has trial rescheduled

The trial of former Pizza Hut magnate Larry Lundy, who was forced to shutter his 44 restaurants in 2011—including 16 in the Capital Region—after years of worsening relations with the restaurant chain is now slated to begin in September, The Times-Picayune reports. The trial had been scheduled to start on April 29, but Judge David Godbey of Federal District Court in Dallas has rescheduled the trial for Sept. 30. The trial is set to last one week. “It is extremely unlikely that any further continuances will be granted,” Godbey says in his order. The pizza chain filed suit Jan. 3, 2011, claiming Lundy Enterprises had fallen behind on royalty payments. Pizza Hut and Lundy Enterprises, which had 1,200 employees across 64 stores in south Louisiana at its height a decade ago, spent much of 2011 in arbitration. Both sides reached a deal that would have transferred Lundy’s assets to Pizza Hut, federal court records show, but the value of the assets, pegged at $7.8 million, was not enough to pay off all liens, claims and other expenses. You can find the full Times-Picayune story here; and read a Business Report story from February 2011 about Lundy’s personal and legal battles here.