It's too early for ghosts, goblins and ghouls to ring doorbells — but a spine-tingling corporate war is already raging in the Halloween industry .
Ricky's Halloween Inc. is suing its chief competitor and two former executives who jumped ship in a Manhattan Supreme Court action rife with allegations of deceit, subterfuge and skullduggery.
The firm, which touts its "sexy, funky and crazy Halloween costumes," is accusing the defendants of using confidential information they possessed as insiders in a bid to "defame" Ricky's — and cripple its holiday business.
At issue are Ricky's so-called popup stores, which sell trick-or-treating outfits and decorations for a few months each fall. The popups require a full year of planning to find and lease affordable short-term space.
Helming the seasonal popup operations for years were Jason Sandlofer, who bought inventory and secured space, and Adam Stupak, an independent real estate broker who worked out of the firm's offices.
After a management change earlier this year, the two men felt vulnerable — and secretly started to negotiate a deal to work for one of Ricky's competitors, Spirit Halloween Superstores, court papers allege.
"F— them," Sandlofer emailed Stupak on April 2, according to Ricky's. "They don't care about our livelihood or families. Now they see theyf—– up but it's too late . . . Let them fall."
Ten days later, Ricky's claims that Stupak emailed a real estate executive to say, "Ricky's is crashing and burning! Sad to see what's happening to a great company."
It was all part of a campaign to "poison
Article source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ricky-halloween-suing-chief-rival-executives-bid-cripple-holiday-business-article-1.1077508?localLinksEnabled=false
