Lisa Vanderpump — The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum whose Bravo spinoff has been in all the headlines lately for the titillating Scandoval cheating brouhaha — seems to be involved in a bit of drama herself, surrounding the soon-to-be-shuttered Pump. Early in May, the restaurateur announced she’d be closing the West Hollywood eatery and expanding her offerings in Las Vegas, but new court documents suggest it might not be that simple, as she apparently faces a lawsuit over unpaid liability insurance.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Employer’s Compensation Insurance Company is suing Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Kenneth Todd for unpaid insurance premiums from Pump — not to be confused with Sur, the setting of many of Vanderpump Rules’ happenings — after an audit showed a discrepancy of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the information provided by the restaurant.
The insurance company initially filed a lawsuit against P.U.M.P. LLC a year ago regarding a policy they’d provided the restaurant from May 9, 2019 to May 9, 2020. The court decided on October 3, 2022, that Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant owed Employer’s Compensation Insurance Company $338,656.43 plus $92.75 in interest per day going forward. In documents filed earlier this month, the company asked for Pump to satisfy that judgment.
It seems the impending closure of Pump will not get Lisa Vanderpump out of paying what the court has said she owes in liability insurance. The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member announced May 4 that Pump would be closing its doors after 10 years of service in West Hollywood. In a statement to on Pump’s Instagram page, the Bravo star wrote:
It's with heavy hearts that we announce that the lease at Pump Restaurant is expiring, and we will be closing its doors on July 5th, after 10 years of beautiful evenings under our olive trees.
Lisa Vanderpump’s statement went on to blame the decision on rising rent costs, saying that to take on another 10-year lease with such a “huge increase” in rent would be “untenable.” However, Pump’s landlord responded promptly with a statement (via Deadline) that disputed the restaurateur’s claims. The landlord stated:
Lisa’s comments regarding the rent for Pump are not accurate. We did not raise the rent and in fact have been nothing but supportive as they tried to catch up on lease obligations including forgiving some rent during Covid.
The Vanderpump Rules star — like so many businesses following the pandemic — seemed to struggle after her restaurants were closed and production shut down on her show in 2020. In 2021 she faced a lawsuit from produce distributor West Central Produce, which alleged she hadn’t made a payment from her restaurants since March of 2020 and owed more than $100,000.
Whatever the reasons for the closing of this chapter in Lisa Vanderpump’s career, new things are afoot for the family, as her Instagram post spoke of two more eateries to come. She continued:
As a family, we are looking to the future of the Vanderpump establishments and will be opening at least two more restaurants with Caesars Entertainment in the coming year.
The Bravo star already has two restaurants in Las Vegas — the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden in Caesars Palace and Vanderpump à Paris located in the Paris Las Vegas casino hotel.
Vanderpump Rules just wrapped an explosive Season 10, and if you want to catch up on any of the Scandoval drama, all 10 seasons are available to stream with a Peacock subscription. You can also check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.
