An American soccer player turned English country innkeeper finds himself in a dispute with the landed gentry – after claiming he was being forced out of business because he was black and from the United States.
Lorne Sam, 39, spent time in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos before moving from that high-performance sport to the more plush surroundings of the Carington Arms in Leicestershire.
According to its website, the pub is “probably the nicest” in the county.
But noses went awry after Mr Sam claimed he was “treated differently” to previous tenants of the pub because of his background.
Mr Sam got into a public row with Alex Stroud, a scion of the manor's historic local lords, the Smith-Carington family, and one of the controllers of the land trust that owns the pub in the town – who has now arrived in court in the village of Ashby Folville. Mr Sam said he was forced to close after a dispute with the owners over the interior design of the historic inn.
Lorne Sam, 39, claimed he was “treated differently” to previous patrons of the pub because of his background
Mr Sam got into a public row with Alex Stroud, a scion of the manor's historic local lords, the Smith-Carington family, which has now reached court
His lawyers say the fact that he is “American and black” is the cause of the trouble and alleges “racial discrimination”, something Mr Stroud has strenuously denied and called “ridiculous”.
Mr Stroud, 54, is at the forefront of a bid by the trustees of the Ashby Folville Land Trust (AFLT) to evict Mr Sam's company, Carington Hospitality Ltd, on the grounds that he owes £13,000 in rent arrears.
In a written defense submitted to Leicester County Court, Mr Sam's lawyer, Philip Noble, said that after his client took over the 19th-century public house near Melton Mowbray, he was taken over by Mr Stroud and his family Mrs. Lucy was visited.
The lawyer said the Strouds had “informed him about how the pub's furnishings should be improved to their taste and how the catering could be improved to cater for their friends following shootings on the estate”.
Mr Noble added: “They asked Lorne Sam to make further improvements to the property's furnishings and fittings, even though such improvements were not necessary or required under the lease.”
“They made it clear that they were relying on the pub to host their post-shooting parties… and asked Lorne Sam to organize the kitchen to meet those needs.”
Mr. Noble said his client suggested in August that he was being “treated differently than previous tenants and raised the possibility that this treatment may be due to his race and color.” Instead, AFLT “decided to exclude the defendant from the premises.”
Mr Noble told the judge that the arrears of £13,000 had been accumulated before Mr Sam took over the business and that an agreement had been made with the trustees for a payment of £4,961, which he made in February this year year, would pay off the pub's debts.
Mr Stroud, 54, is at the forefront of a bid by the trustees of the Ashby Folville Land Trust (AFLT) to evict Mr Sam's company, Carington Hospitality Ltd, on the grounds that he owes £13,000 in rent arrears
Lorne Sam, 39, spent time with the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos in the NFL before moving from that high-performance sport to the more plush surroundings of the Carington Arms in Leicestershire
According to its website, the Carington Arms in Leicestershire is “probably the finest” in the county
Russell Davies, counsel for the trustees, denied that Mr Sam or his company had been treated differently. He said the Strouds visited the Carington Arms regularly as they lived nearby and were “interested in promoting the success of the business, including introducing customs”. It denied “that they were trying to run Mr Sam's business” and detailed how Mr Stroud organized and paid for the re-carpeting, installation of new plumbing and a radiator in the pub “despite being under no obligation to do so.” was”.
Mr Davies said “reasonable and proportionate” attempts had been made to reclaim the unpaid rent, but Mr Sam's company had failed to stick to an agreed repayment plan. In emails between Mr Sam and Mr Stroud, which Mr Sam later posted on the pub's Facebook page, Mr Stroud said: “Lucy and I were delighted from day one and welcomed you with open arms.”
“Any suggestion that you are treated differently because of your skin color or nationality is deeply offensive, extremely disturbing and ridiculous.”
The case is expected to be heard in full next year.