Palmer House hotel owners sue neighbor at 30 E. Adams for months of unpaid steam heat bills

The company owning Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton hotel has sued the owners of a neighboring high-rise, alleging the neighbors have not paid for the steam generated by the Palmer House used to heat their building.

On May 28, Thor Palmer House Hotel LLC filed a complaint in Cook County Circuit Court against 30 East Adams Building LLC, alleging the company has to date failed to pay for more than $250,000 worth of steam generated at the Palmer House for use at the 30 E. Adams Street building, commonly known as the Hartman Building.

Thor Palmer House Hotel LLC is the corporate entity created by New York-based Thor Equities to operate the historic downtown Chicago hotel, located on East Monroe Street between South State Street and South Wabash Avenue.

The neighboring corporate entity, 30 East Adams Building LLC, which is listed in public documents as the owner of the building, is a limited liability corporation affiliated with the family of deceased businessman Gail Bennett, whose company, Bennett Brothers Inc., serves as a prominent tenant in the Hartman Building, located at East Adams Street and South Wabash, just south of the hotel.

According to the Thor Palmer House complaint, 30 East Adams Building LLC contracted with Thor Palmer House in 2012 to supply its building with steam to heat the commercial building and supply its offices and retail spaces with hot water.

However, the complaint asserts 30 East Adams has failed to make any of the required monthly payments for the supply of steam since November 2014, breaching its contract.

Thor Palmer House claims the missed payments amount to more than $250,000 in damages.

The hotel operator has asked the court to award compensatory damages of at least $250,000, plus interest, attorney fees and other court costs.

Thor Palmer House Hotel LLC is represented in the action by attorneys Jonathan M. Weis and Mitchell S. Chaban, of the firm of Levin Ginsburg, of Chicago.