Hooters failed to pay three monthly installments of its annual rent after “abandoning” its Harborplace location in downtown Baltimore last year, MCB Real Estate alleged in ongoing litigation between the sports bar and its landlord.

In its counterclaim filed in July, the Harborplace owner also alleged that Hooters, when open, “harmed MCB’s efforts to revitalize Harborplace” by significantly reducing its hours, violating its lease by keeping the store closed on Mondays and Tuesdays for a period and closing early when it was open on those days. Hooters failed to pay about $483,900 in additional rent set in the lease for not keeping the store open during its defined hours, according to the claim.

Hooters and its attorney, David Butzer, did not immediately return requests for comment on Friday. In a response filed in court, Hooters denied it owed the money to MCB.

The claims against the sports bar, known for its scantily-clad servers and pub food, came in a lawsuit where Hooters sued MCB and its previous landlord, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., for breach of lease, alleging that “neglect and inaction” at the Inner Harbor property had “a major detrimental impact on Hooters’ ability to successfully operate its restaurant.”

The lawsuit filed by Hooters alleged that the pavilion was “unkempt, dirty, and poorly maintained” and that MCB had “failed to adequately police” the complex, prompting Hooters to pay for its own security.

MCB filed its counterclaim in the suit soon after the restaurant closed in June, amid a wave of closures of Hooters restaurants across the country that the chain attributed to market pressures. In the suit, MCB alleged that after the sports bar and wings chain left the premises, the restaurant had failed to pay three monthly installments of its annual rent, totaling $89,000.

The exchange in litigation also comes as voters decide on Question F, a ballot initiative needed for MCB to raze the aging shopping pavilions and replace them with taller buildings for apartments, offices, retail and dining.

The case in Baltimore Circuit Court is scheduled to proceed to trial in March.

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