Jazzy’s Restaurant and Lounge at 901 King St. in Riverside closed Aug. 8.
Co-owner Celestia Mobley said six slip-and-fall lawsuits since it opened in 2019 caused her insurance rates to become unaffordable.
The last case resulted in a $328,000 settlement.
“Morgan & Morgan, Farah & Farah advertise that it doesn’t hurt the businesses, that insurance companies pay. It does end up hurting the business,” Mobley said.
“I can’t afford any big-time lawyers.”
She also said there had been neighborhood noise complaints about music.
“Our landlord decided we were too much of a liability and told us we pretty much had to leave,” she said.
Jazzy’s specialized in Southern and soul food cuisine.
Mobley also owns Celestia’s Coastal Cuisine at 6765 Dunn Ave., which she opened in 2017. It is predominantly a seafood restaurant.
Previously she had worked at Potter’s House. Mobley has been in the restaurant business for 25 years.
She never had a slip-and-fall lawsuit until she opened Jazzy’s, she said.
Mobley is remodeling the former Whispers Oyster Bar at 331 W. Forsyth St. Downtown, where she hopes to open 904Jazzy’s about the first of next year.