They opened a Scottsdale gastropub together. Now, they’re battling in court

It took nearly five years to bring Liquor Pig to fruition in Old Town Scottsdale. In less than a year, the partnership that made the gastropub possible has unraveled.

Now, that dispute is playing out in Maricopa County Superior Court. 

Scott Casey, a founding partner and former general manager of Liquor Pig, filed a civil lawsuit on Monday. He alleges fellow owners Christina and Christopher Foster have tried to cut him out of the restaurant unilaterally, failed to pay him, prevented him from reviewing business records and continue to use his “tangible and intellectual property” at the restaurant and bar on Fourth Avenue and Winfield Scott Plaza.

The Fosters owe Casey more than $16,000 in back pay, the suit said. Casey also asserts he hasn’t received compensation for the equipment, equity or his investment in the restaurant. 

In an emailed response, Christina Foster dismissed those claims.

“The lawsuit has no merit,” she wrote. “I am the rightful owner of MJR Investment and the restaurant Liquor Pig.”

Liquor Pig was among the buzziest and most acclaimed Valley openings in 2025. A viral cocktail served in a Spam tin first caught the attention of local diners and social media photographers. Inventive pastas and unusual shareable plates enticed customers to linger for more than a drink in the cozy, wood-clad dining room.

The restaurant was one of Phoenix New Times’ Best New Restaurants of 2025 and is among its Top 50 Restaurants.

What the lawsuit claims

Liquor Pig is not only the name of the Old Town eatery. It is also a brand and business that Casey has consulted under since 2014, the suit said.

He began planning the restaurant with its founding chef, Steven “Chops” Smith, in 2021. Smith helmed the kitchen when the restaurant opened in March 2025, then left in July. The chef decamped to the luxe downtown restaurant Pretty Penny in August. Though Smith is not a party to the lawsuit, his name is mentioned throughout. 

After running into issues with a previous contractor, Casey and Smith hired the Fosters “to complete various construction projects” in 2022, the complaint said. The Fosters received “a large sum” to do that work, yet “subsequently ceased work and contact for over a year.” 

By early 2024, the Fosters returned with an offer, the suit said: For a stake in the restaurant, they’d complete the work. Casey and Smith made a handshake agreement with the couple.

As the restaurant progressed, Casey and his wife took out a $865,000 business loan. He also “brought $300,000 of investment, expensive essential equipment, his restaurant expertise and his labor,” the suit said. 

Casey believes the Fosters moved the loan funds into their business entity, MJR Investments, LLC. Currently, that business entity holds the restaurant’s liquor license.

In January, Casey’s role as general manager was “terminated.” In short order, Casey received a letter asserting he had no ownership and warning him against trespassing at the restaurant.

Casey was effectively fired from a restaurant that he created and that uses the name of his consultancy firm. He and Smith have essentially been 86-ed from the restaurant they founded.

Meanwhile, Casey is on the hook for the business loan tied to Liquor Pig.

“The Fosters, in ousting Casey, attempted to unilaterally wind-up the partnership,” the lawsuit said, adding that the couple “withheld property, profits and other benefits.”

In addition to seeking compensation for Casey, the lawsuit also asks the judge to stop the Fosters from using the Liquor Pig name and logo. 

Phoenix New Times has reached out to the parties involved for comment on this ongoing case.