A Manhattan nightclub owner is suing his partners for allegedly getting fat on Butter - and slicing him out of the profits.
In a pair of Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuits, Alireza Ghassemi charged that he and investors from Bala Associates were "robbed" of ownership shares at the celebrity hot spot that instead were sold off to the likes of hip-hop mogul Damon Dash and supermodel Carmen Kass.
The other partners in the sleek Lafayette St. lounge and restaurant - noted ladies' men Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano - are accused of skimming profits while wining and dining their famous friends at Butter.
"Akiva and Sartiano brought this on to themselves," said Seth Redniss, an attorney for Ghassemi.
The $7.5 million lawsuit said that Butter - which attracts bold-faced names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean (Diddy) Combs and the Olsen twins - has generated millions in profits since opening in April 2002. It added that none of that money has found its way back to the investors at Bala, who the suit says put up $1.75 million to open the place.
"We've had no explanation for any of these things," Redniss said.
Sartiano, who is dating "Sopranos" star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, has previously been linked to Ashley Olsen and singer Ashlee Simpson. Akiva has squired starlet Lindsay Lohan, Mary-Kate Olsen and Kass, a chess-playing stunner from Estonia.
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