Waterbury Mall Sues Restaurant Tenant, Claiming Failure To Pay Rent

WATERBURY, CT — The owner of the Brass Mill Center mall is suing one of its tenant restaurants, Sicilian Delight, claiming it hasn’t been paying rent.

Brass Mill Center Realty Holding LLC filed the lawsuit this month in the Superior Court Housing Session for the District of Waterbury.

The litigation lists the defendants as Sicilian Delight Waterbury LLC and its owners, Dominick and Kathleen Crocilla of Whitesboro, New York.

The restaurant’s menu includes an array of Italian cuisine, including pizza, stromboli, calzones, pasta and meatballs, appetizers such as wings and mozzarella sticks, and desserts, according to its website.

The lawsuit claims the business, which continues to occupy space in the mall, is in default of its 2018 lease, which requires it to pay rent, electric, water and sewer fees. The mall’s owner is seeking money damages and the cost of attorney fees, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the law firm Halloran & Sage in Hartford.

Stacey Mendyka, the mall’s general manager, wrote in an affidavit that as of this month, the business owes about $77,277 in unpaid rent and fees.

According to Mendyka, the business’ lease obligates it to pay rent through Jan. 31, 2029.

“I conservatively project that income from the subject premises will not be replaced by a new tenant for at least one year following eviction or abandonment,” Mendyka wrote.

The lost rental income from that one year period would be at least $61,911, according to Mendyka.

The mall owners are seeking a prejudgment remedy of $144,188, to cover unpaid rent and fees, lost future rental income, and its attorney fees, court documents show.

Sicilian Delight owners could not be reached for comment Monday.