Teyana Taylor named in lawsuit over alleged unpaid rent for Harlem nail salon space
The building owner claims that the singer is liable for nearly $49,000 in unpaid rent for the space that housed the former salon, Junie Bee Nails, Inc.
Teyana Taylor has been named in a lawsuit relating to unpaid rent for the space that once housed a New York City nail salon. In the suit, the building owner alleges that the singer/director — as the lease guarantor — is responsible for the unpaid rent.
The salon in question is Junie Bee Nails, Inc., which was located at 2330 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. in Harlem in a building that belongs to 2330 Seventh Owner LLC. Monique Taylor — who is also named in the suit that the landlord filed on Aug. 30 in the New York State Supreme Court, according to a copy of the summons that theGrio has obtained — is listed with New York’s Department of State as Junie Bee Nails’ registered agent. It is not clear what the connection is between the Taylor women.
TheGrio reached out to Teyana Taylor and her management company for comment, however neither responded before publication of this article. The performer is currently on in Europe for the final leg of her “The Last Rose Petal 2” farewell tour.
The suit states that Junie Bee Nails, Inc. entered a 10-year lease for the space in February 2017 but owes nearly $49,000 in rent, dating to January 2019. The suit further states that the salon abandoned the location on Feb. 29, 2020.
Because Teyana Taylor is listed as the guarantor on the lease that Junie Bee Nails signed, the suit maintains, the “Gonna Love Me” singer is now obligated to pay the rent owed to the end of the lease — January 2027 — or until the owners occupied the space with a new tenant. 2330 Seventh Owner LLC, which bought the building in February 2020 and all the rights to the lease, found a new tenant in April 2021.
The suit states that Monique Taylor and Teyana Taylor should be accountable to the plaintiff for $48,739.06, comprising $358.52 rent balance as of January 2019, $44,556.00 of unpaid rent between February 2019 and January 2020 ($3,713 per month), and $3,824.54 for the month of February 2020. The plaintiff also seeks other monetary relief, including interest dating to January 2019 and attorney’s fees.
Though Junie Bee Nails closed its New York City location, it remains an “active” business, according to New York’s state department corporations division. The division’s records indicate that the company has a past due “statement status,” indicating that the “next statement due date is Jan. 31, 2019.
Junie Bee Nails announced on Instagram that it was temporarily closing on March 21, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 26, 2020, the company announced on Instagram that it would permanently close the location.
“It saddens us to announce that Junie Bees will not be returning to this location,” read the statement about the salon closing. “Junie Bees strives to excel as a black owned business and now its time to OWN A BLOCK! As a culture it’s imperative to expand our business standards to completely OWN the establishment that we operate out of!”
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