No More Egg Rolls At China North; Owners Evicted

Northbrook’s restaurant was shut down by the Cook County Sheriff in late September after its owners failed to pay more than $50,000 in rent, Patch learned last week.

On Sept. 20, sheriff’s police came to evict the owners of the Chinese restaurant at Sanders and Dundee roads, closing up the storefront in the Standy Plaza Shopping Center and posting a fluorescent green “No Trespassing sign.”

“The rent became too burdensome to pay,” said Kenneth Ditkowsky, lawyer for China North. “The economy is so bad that they couldn’t make a profit. They couldn’t even make expenses.”

China North occupied the spot at the center’s northernmost corner for eight years, and was owned by Roselle residents Susan and Ching Liu, according to court records. A home phone number for the Lius was disconnected.

In May, property owner Affiliated Realty & Management Company submitted a five day’s notice to the Lius, seeking $47,418 in unpaid rent and other charges. When the Lius could not pay that amount, Affiliated Realty filed suit against China North and the Lius in August, asking for more than $50,000 in overdue rent and possession of the property.  

A Cook County Circuit Court judge ruled in Affiliated Realty’s favor on Sept. 16. Including rent, late fees and other charges from April 2009 through September 2011, the judge ruled that China North and Ching Liu owed Affiliated Realty more than $72,000, not including attorney’s fees.

According to Ditkowsky, Susan Liu filed for bankruptcy within the first week of September, and the China North corporation has been dissolved.

“When she went into bankruptcy, the trustee in bankruptcy became the owner of the property,” he said. “The trustee has found no assets and found the corporation to have no value.” 

A representative of Affiliated Realty said the company was trying to fill the vacant spot, but declined to answer questions about China North. A lawyer for Affiliated Realty did not return two messages from Patch.