EVERETT — A well-known deli near the Edgewater Bridge in Everett has been closed amid a prolonged legal battle between its owner and a man who made a disputed claim that he is a part owner of the business.
Lia Tetreault, who runs the Soundview Deli, is in the midst of a civil lawsuit against Soo Jin Jung, a contractor, who is suing her to divide property he said they acquired together while in an intimate relationship. Tetreault denied in court filings that they were business partners and said she is the owner of the business.
In November, a judge granted a temporary protection order for Jung after Tetreault was found in default, as she had not filed a response to a lawsuit Jung filed in October. That order meant Tetreault could not access the Soundview Deli, the address Jung listed on the protection order.
As of Wednesday, a metal gate blocked the front door of the deli. It’s unclear if or when the store may reopen. Jung’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment on the case. Tetreault’s attorney declined to comment.
In the lawsuit, Jung alleged that he and Tetreault were in a committed intimate relationship. The filing requests the court to divide the property the two allegedly acquired together while in a relationship, including, the suit alleges, the Soundview Deli. Jung argued that the two had co-owned and co-operated the business.
In a November court filing, Tetreault said she and Jung were not in an intimate relationship and were never business partners. Rather, Tetreault said Jung was a contractor hired to remodel the building, paid for by her landlord.
Tetreault first met Jung in 2021 when he fixed a refrigerator at her grocery store in Anacortes, she wrote in an October court filing. They began a romantic relationship after she opened the Soundview Deli, and he moved into a living space below the store in 2023, she wrote.
The relationship, however, became abusive, according to Tetreault. In the court document, she wrote that Jung had demanded money and threatened to kill her. In court filings, multiple patrons of the deli said they had seen Jung harass her, and that Tetreault feared him.
In another court filing, Jung denied that he had ever threatened to harm Tetreault in any manner. He said he had done remodeling work and put cash investments toward the deli totaling over $400,000. Jung also accused Tetreault of deceiving him by not including his name on the building’s lease after he said the two had agreed to a business arrangement where Jung would be a partial owner.
Tetreault wrote that the two had no agreement giving Jung any ownership or partnership rights. She wrote in filings that Jung had forged a document in an attempt to prove they were business partners. State corporation records list Tetreault as the sole governor of the deli, a person who has the authority to make decisions on behalf of the business.
This case is the third lawsuit the two have been involved in against one another this year. In February, Tetreault requested a civil protection order against Jung, alleging he returned to the deli after being gone for five weeks and blocked access to her living area below the store. Jung denied barricading her door, as well as any unlawful harassment.
In March, Jung requested a civil protection order of his own against Tetreault, accusing her and two others of using an axe and hammer to break into his living space below the store. Tetreault said his request contained false statements and no corroborating evidence, accusing him of using the legal system in bad faith.
In October, a judge denied both Tetreault and Jung’s requests for full protection orders, citing insufficient evidence.
Tetreault wrote in a November filing that she was served with documents regarding the third lawsuit in October but thought those pertained to the two other ongoing lawsuits, not a new lawsuit. She wrote that the temporary restraining order is preventing her from accessing her business. Her attorney filed a motion to vacate the default order.
An attorney for Jung wrote that the court should maintain the order of default, arguing that Tetreault’s claims do not constitute an excusable mistake under the law.
A hearing in the pending court case is scheduled for Tuesday.
This is not the first time Jung has been in court over business disputes. In 2011, a business owner sued him in King County after the man purchased a beauty salon from Jung, who stayed on as a manager, but soon discovered “financial irregularities,” the owner alleged in court documents, accusing Jung of transferring money to a separate business he owned. Jung later called the police, claiming he was the owner and that the purchase price the previous owner paid was simply a loan, court documents alleged.
A year later, a jury ruled against Jung and ordered him to pay over $900,000 to the business owner for breach of contract. Jung filed for bankruptcy soon after, court records show.
In 2020, a judge granted a protection order against Jung after his spouse requested one. She said in a court filing that Jung had hit and punched her multiple times. The protection order also required Jung to undergo a domestic violence perpetrator treatment program, records show.
The Soundview Deli, popular with residents on the southwest side of the city living near the Edgewater Bridge, had already faced a challenging period of decreased business following the bridge’s closure in October 2024. In a previous interview with The Daily Herald, Tetreault said business had dropped 90% after the bridge closed. The bridge is expected to reopen in early 2026.
For Julie Meyers, who lives within walking distance of the Soundview Deli, it means the neighborhood’s closest options for food are now up to five miles away. Meyers — who said she did not recall Tetreault being in a relationship and never saw a man working at the store — expressed sadness over the store’s closure and said Tetreault had become a beloved member of the neighborhood since she purchased the deli.
“She’s just really kind and really welcoming to the people in the community,” Meyers said. “I don’t know what more she could have done to advertise the deli and become a part of the community. Each person who came into the store, she would say hello to them by name.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
