On February 23, attorneys for both sides signed off on a motion entered in Cook County Circuit Court ending the legal fracas launched in late 2014 by chef and restaurateur Scott Harris against his then-partners in The Purple Pig, fellow Chicago restaurateurs Jimmy Bannos, Sr. and Jimmy Bannos, Jr., among others.

(Above, left to right) Chicago restaurateurs Jimmy Bannos, Sr., Jimmy Bannos, Jr., and Anthony Mantuano, co-owners, along with investor Gary Veselsky, of The Purple Pig.

The motion, granted by Cook County Judge Kathleen Kennedy, says only that the parties involved have “reached an out of court settlement” and have agreed to dismiss the litigation with prejudice, meaning neither side can sue over the matter again. Each side agreed to pay its own legal costs.

Spencer Marks, an attorney with the firm of Pokorny & Marks, LLC, who represented Harris, confirmed the dismissal. “The case was amicably resolved by the parties in a confidential agreement,” Marks (right) said. He added that Harris “is no longer associated with the Purple Pig restaurant.”

The Purple Pig website also appears to have scrubbed any reference to Harris, his involvement in the restaurant either now or in the past, and a link to a Harris bio which had formerly been featured under the site’s About Us page no longer functions.

Marks declined to offer any further details on the settlement.

The relationship between Harris (left) and the Bannoses dates back to at least 2008, when they partnered to launch The Purple Pig at the corner of North Michigan Avenue & East Illinois Street. The restaurant has since specialized in Mediterranean-themed cuisine centered on “cheese, swine, and wine.”

Before the restaurant opened in 2009, they added Anthony Mantuano of Spiaggia fame to the group, putting him in the mix of chefs and owners of such Chicago dining institutions as Harris’s Francesca’s, and the Bannonses’ Heaven on Seven, lending pedigree to The Purple Pig.

When the restaurant opened, Harris and Bannos Sr. each held 40 percent stakes in the company, while restaurateur Mantuano had 20 percent. The ownership structure was eventually revised to give Bannos Jr. and investor Gary Veselsky small ownership stakes, as well. Bannos Jr. was also hired as the restaurant’s chef.

In November 2014, however, Harris filed suit against the Bannoses, as well as others involved in ownership and management at The Purple Pig. Other named defendants included Mantuano, Veselsky, general manager Laura Payne, and Prairie Bread Kitchen.

Harris had demanded at least $1.5 million in damages and removal of the Bannoses from ownership and management of The Purple Pig, over allegations the Bannoses had embezzled from the restaurant, while manipulating records and moving to cut Harris out of management at the restaurant. Harris had accused the Bannoses of using business credit cards for personal expenses, including home repairs, vehicle expenses, parking tickets, family parties, vacations, and “abusive spending” at an awards ceremony in New York, among other items.

Harris further alleged a kickback scheme, in which the Bannoses allegedly attempted to conceal revenue from taxation by paying “bonuses” to Payne and making fake purchases from Prairie Bread Kitchen, which was owned by Payne’s husband.

The Bannoses, however, countersued less than a month later, accusing Harris of wrongdoing. They said Harris had defaulted on a $3.6 million loan at another restaurant he owned and forged Bannos Sr.’s signature on bank documents to loop The Purple Pig into the default. They also said Harris, when the Bannoses rebuffed his suggestion to open more Purple Pig locations, opened competing establishments with similar menus and lured Purple Pig employees to staff them.