Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean sued for $1.4M after closing Nashville steakhouse

A real estate company is suing country music stars Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan as well as former MLB player Adam LaRoche following the closure of their Nashville steakhouse.

Village 21 Investment Partners LLC is seeking more than $1.4 million in damages, claiming the closure was a default on their lease agreement, the lawsuit filed in Davidson County Circuit Court reads.

According to the complaint, the trio previously operated a restaurant called E3 Chophouse but "stopped paying the monthly rent and abruptly closed the restaurant" in February.

The steakhouse, located in the city's Hillsboro Village neighborhood, opened its doors in 2019 and is one of two in the country. The other location, owned by LaRoche and his brothers Jeff and Andy, is in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and opened in 2013.

"Nashville − we’re hitting pause," the E3 Chophouse Nashville website read on Tuesday, June 23. "We’re temporarily pausing operations as we evaluate what Nashville needs next. Our team is assessing market opportunities and exploring potential rebrand and re-concept strategies for the future of this location."

LaRoche became friends with Bryan more than two decades ago, after he attended one of Bryan’s music gigs in Atlanta, The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, previously reported. LaRoche later introduced himself to Aldean after the musician performed the national anthem at an Atlanta Braves game, and they eventually became hunting buddies, he said.

USA TODAY has reached out to the defendants' attorneys.

Online court records show a hearing for the civil case is set for Friday, June 26.

Contributing: Diana Leyva with The Tennessean

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.