The owner of the Bedford Post Inn has accused a former chef of the acclaimed dining destination of cybersquatting.
Kasu Bedford IP accused Roxanne Spruance of trademark infringement in a lawsuit filed on April 16 in U.S. District Court, White Plains.
Spruance “continues to engage in unlawful and infringing activities,” the complaint states, to “trade off the goodwill in the Bedford Posts marks and divert customers and potential customers to (her) own websites and services.”
“This is a classic David vs. Goliath bullying attempt,” Spruance stated in an email. “Their allegations are frivolous.”
The Inn traces its history to 1762 when it served as a stagecoach stop for travelers on Old Post Road. In 2006, actor Richard Gere and business partner Russell Hernandez bought the property for $2.7 million, according to a property record.
They renovated the site and used trademarks to promote the Inn and restaurants such as The Farmhouse, The Barn and The Tavern. “Today,” according to the complaint, “Bedford Post Inn is known for its timeless elegance, exceptional hospitality, and elevated tavern fare.”
Last year, Kasu, represented by restaurateur Adam Landsman, of Piermont, acquired the Bedford Post and Bedford Post Inn trademarks and began operating the Inn. This past December, Kasu bought the property for $15.5 million.
Spruance, a chef, was a tenant of Bedford Post Inn and operated restaurants there from 2020 to 2023, according to the complaint.
The Inn operates the bedfordpostinn.com website, the complaint states, and Spruance was never given the right to use its trademarks.
In 2019, Spruance registered the similarly-named bedfordpostdining.com website. It connects to a landing page titled “Dining At Bedford Post,” and links to her personal website where she promotes culinary, beverage, teaching, and consulting services.
Since August 2023, she has had no affiliation with the Inn, according to the complaint, but her computer domains and social media accounts allegedly portray her as affiliated and divert internet traffic to her personal website.
Kasu says Spruance has refused to stop using names that are confusingly similar to the Bedford Post trademarks. Instead, on March 4, she registered bedfordpost.com, a  domain that is “legally identical” to Kasu’s Bedford Post trademark.
Kasu claims that Spruance indicated that she would sell the infringing domain names to Kasu “for an exorbitant sum, reflecting bad-faith intent to profit from plaintiff’s trademark.”
“I owned, operated and worked tirelessly to build good-will since 2019,” Spruance said, and she offered to sell the domain and social media accounts for a fair price. But Kasu “offered nuisance value, and then would go for months without contact or any good faith response.”
Kasu accused Spruance of cybersquatting, trademark infringement, and unfair competition, under federal and state laws. It is asking the court to stop Spruance from using its trademarks or similar names, make her transfer her domains and social media accounts to Kasu, order her to issue corrective advertising, and award unspecified monetary damages.
