The Loyal Order of Moose is suing a sports bar for more than $200,000 for allegedly squatting at a former lodge in Ossining.
Moose Lodge 1460 and Moose International Inc., based in Mooseheart, Illinois, are seeking to evict The Dugout NY and founder Tiffany Vargas from a building at 37 Croton Ave., in a complaint filed on Sept. 9 in Westchester Supreme Court.
“The defendants have maintained illegal use and possession of the property without any written lease or rental agreement since at least October 2021, the complaint states, and “have failed to pay rent in any amount.”
The Loyal Order of Moose was founded in 1888 in Louisville, Kentucky, as a white men’s social club. It expanded to thousands of lodges in North America and the United Kingdom, now includes women, and practices fraternity and supports charities and civic activities.
The Lodge 1460 building is next to the Ossining Public Library.
Vargas, who is also known as Tiffany Paovella, of Peekskill, incorporated The Dugout N.Y. LLC in 2018, according to a state registration record. A Tiffany Paovella is a member of the Village of Ossining’s Landlord-Tenant Relations Council, representing tenants.
In 2016, Lodge 1460 leased out its first floor to CRA Tavern Inc. and Christopher Parise, who, according to a business record, operated Parise’s American Grille.
The five-year deal began at $4,850 a month and increased annually by 5%. The tenant was not allowed to sublet, and Lodge 1460 continued to use the basement and attic.
The Moose claim that The Dugout sports bar and party hall began illegally operating in the Lodge 1460 building around October 2021. The monthly rent at the time was $5,895. By then, the fraternal organization was in decline. A month later, it forfeited its charter.
Around February 2022, the locks were changed, blocking the owner’s access to the building.
The Moose put The Dugout on notice that it would be evicted, the complaint states. But despite warnings, Paovella has refused to vacate the property.
As of Sept.1, according to the complaint, she owed $206,333 for rent, not including property taxes, utility bills, and maintenance costs.
The Moose accused the bar and owner of illegal squatting, trespass, unjust enrichment, and conversion of assets.
“My clients are not squatters,” Vargas’s attorney, Joseph Turco stated in an email. He said the attorney for the Moose lodge, Keith Harris, has tried to illegally lock out his client. “He has had the case dismissed twice already. It will be dismissed a third time next week.”
The Dugout’s website is no longer operable and its phone number is no longer in service.
