Middletown Subway Sued For Owing $53,000 In Rent

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The landlord who owns the Middletown Shopping Center on Rt. 35 has now sued the Subway located there, alleging the Subway owes $53,286.28 in unpaid rent.

This is the complex where Livoti's Old World Market is located, and is one of the main commerce and shopping hubs of Middletown.

The civil suit against the Middletown Subway was filed Feb. 9 in Monmouth County Superior Court. According to the suit, which Patch obtained a copy of, the Middletown Subway was obligated to pay $3,420 in rent on the first of every month to the complex owner. (All civil lawsuits are public documents.)

The Asbury Park Press reported that the same property owners in January similarly sued the Boston Market located there, saying the Boston Market owes $131,228 in rent. Boston Market stopped paying rent beginning in March 2020 when the pandemic started, the newspaper reported.

That Boston Market has since closed, shuttering in April 2020.

However, according to the lawsuit, Subway started to miss their rent payments beginning in March 2018, well before the coronavirus pandemic.

The Middletown Shopping Center said the Subway continues to be open and operate daily without consent from the landlord. Cherry Hill-based Daniel Utain is the lawyer representing the landlord.

The phone number for the Middletown Subway does not appear to work; an email to the Middletown Subway owners was not returned and an email to the Subway corporate offices was not immediately returned.

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