Mr. Mesero’s Mico Rodriguez Settles With Former Partners Following $1 Million Lawsuit

Restaurateur Mico Rodriguez and his former business partners in Mesero Restaurant Group have now settled after the group sued Rodriguez for $1 million last month.

Rodriguez will remain in control of Mr. Mesero on McKinney Avenue, but will have to change the name, while Mesero Restaurant Group will own rights to all of the Mesero intellectual property, including the five restaurants with that moniker, D Magazine reports.

Eater previously reported that principals of MSR, Trey Dyer, Matt Fleeger, and Ryan Rogers accused the troubled former Mi Cocina and Taco Diner restaurateur of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Mesero Restaurant Group through the Mr. Mesero restaurant. The suit alleged Rodriguez was using the eatery as his “personal piggy bank.” Rodriguez and his attorney denied the allegations. They also countered by saying that MSR wrongfully terminated Rodriguez after he returned from cancer treatment, yet continued to use his trademarks after the firing.

Apparently the original suit also alleges that Rodriguez was pursuing opening a new restaurant called Sensero (which it says was in violation of his non-compete clause), and he had even signed a lease for the eatery, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Eater reached out to Mr. Mesero for comment, but no word yet on what its court-ordered new moniker will be (or when and where Sensero will open).

• Mico Rodriguez Settles Lawsuit With Ex-Partners [D Magazine]
• Restaurateur Mico Rodriguez Sued For $1 Million [EDFW]
• Backers of ‘Mico’ Rodriguez seek more than $1 million in legal case against noted restaurateur [Dallas Morning News]