A Poughkeepsie impresario of craft beer has sued his partner in a defunct Mamaroneck brewpub for allegedly misallocating assets.
Decadent Ales minority partner Alan Daniels accused Paul Pignataro of unjust enrichment in a complaint filed on May 21 in Westchester Supreme Court.
It would be futile to demand that Decadent Ales take action, the complaint states, because majority partner Pignataro “is the direct beneficiary of the wrongdoing” and “is incapable of making an independent and disinterested decision.”
Pignataro, of Hartsdale, did not reply to an email asking for his side of the story.
Decadent Ales specialized in IPAs and stouts, and operated from an industrial space on Hoyt Avenue near the Mamaroneck train station.
Pignataro, a former investment banker, formed the business in 2016, according to a state corporation record.
As of May 2018, Pignataro owned 85% of the business and was designated as the manager, according to the complaint, and Daniels owned 15%.
Though a minority owner, Daniels has an extensive background in retail beer sales and distribution. He founded the Half Time beer emporium in Poughkeepsie 22 years ago.
According to Daniels’ complaint, Pignataro intentionally failed to comply with reporting and repayment requirements for a $190,000 federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan that Decadent Ales received during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Daniels also alleges that his partner allocated beer sales revenues to himself instead of to the business, and failed to reimburse him for costs incurred in obtaining the liquor license and other approvals.
He accused Pignataro of violating their operating agreement, and he is demanding unspecified damages and an accounting of the business.
According to a lawsuit that Decadent Ales filed against an insurance company, Tropical Storm Ida in September 2021 flooded the brewpub and caused about $500,000 in damages.
Decadent Ales closed in mid-2023 and the business was dissolved in October 2023.
Half Time’s second retail store operates in the same 20,000-square-foot warehouse-like space on Hoyt Avenue, Mamaroneck. It offers about 5,000 beers and boasts of being the home of the world’s largest beer selection.
Daniels is represented by Rhinebeck attorney Sean M. Kemp.
