Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
When real-estate mogul Patrick Carroll was contemplating where to eat dinner in Miami on April 12, some of the city’s hottest restaurants—including Carbone and Dirty French Steakhouse—were apparently off limits. The reason, according to a lawsuit filed in a Miami court this week: Carroll was banned from the establishments and others owned by their parent company because he had allegedly called Carbone’s service manager “a street [N-word]” in December.
That Wednesday evening, Carroll opted for sushi at Hiyakawa Miami and quickly wound up banned by its restaurant group, too.
During his meal, the lawsuit claims, Carroll became enchanted by an attractive woman who was on a date with another man. He allegedly pursued her so relentlessly—including “following her to the restroom”—that the maître d’ felt the need to intervene. Carroll didn’t appreciate the reproach. As his meal ended, he spat on the 25-year-old employee (or, as his spokesperson later framed it, he “pantomimed” spitting). Carroll’s antics, which were captured on video, were soon reported by the industry outlet The Real Deal.