Chief operating officer of The Grove Inc. files lawsuit over allegedly unpaid bonus; company recently sued former CFO

The chief operating officer of a Westchester-based company that recently filed litigation against its former chief financial officer is suing over claims he has not received his bonus for last year.

Paul Loupakos filed a lawsuit Oct. 20 in Cook County Circuit Court against The Grove Inc. (TGI) and Michelle Dukler, its president and chief executive officer.

According to the complaint, Loupakos has been employed by TGI --a company that operates concessions in airports and train stations here in Chicago and across the nation-- since 1982 and was promoted in 2008 to chief operating officer, reporting directly to Dukler and receiving an annual bonus based on the company's earnings.

Loupakos alleges that Dukler has received her 2013 bonus, but Loupakos has not despite repeated written demands for the payment. The suit states Loupakos' bonus for last year totals about $270,800.

The bonus at issue was prepared by Robert Ireland, TGI's former chief financial officer, and approved by Dukler, according to the complaint states.

TGI just last month filed a lawsuit against Ireland, accusing him of falsely inflating the company's earnings to artificially boost his bonuses, among other allegations of fraud.

In his lawsuit, Loupakos is seeking the bonus he asserts is owed, plus interest and attorney fees. He is represented by Carrie A. Herschman of Karr, Herschman & Eggert in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014L010842.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.