Gregory Pranzo, the restaurateur behind Docks on the Harbor, has been ordered to pay more than $8 million to his former landlord over unpaid rent and other damages, according to a Baltimore City Circuit Court lawsuit.

Pranzo suddenly closed his eatery on Dec. 9, 2024, without notifying customers or employees. On Jan. 6, 2025, building owner Cordish Companies, which also leases a space to The Baltimore Banner, sued Pranzo for missed payments and violating the terms of their lease.

On July 29, a judge ruled that Pranzo and his company, Docks Baltimore LLC, were in breach of contract.

Court documents alleged that the 38-year-old left the East Pratt Street location in the early morning hours after complaining about the restaurant to a Cordish Companies employee. Pranzo took bar stools, decor, cooking equipment and furniture from the eatery for use in another Docks restaurant in Tennessee, according to the lawsuit.

Cordish Companies alleged that Pranzo missed rent payments from Oct. 1, 2024, through Dec. 4, 2024, to the tune of $123,990, which has since accumulated interest and late charges. An accelerated rent charged through the end of the lease term also went unpaid, amounting to $3,331,142.

When Pranzo closed the business, he effectively defaulted on the terms of his lease, meaning the contents taken from the Dock’s space belonged to Cordish, the landlord argued. Cordish sued for an additional $4,803,021 in damages for breaching a provision of their contract.

Lawyers for the landlord said in a court order that Pranzo left town with the “intent to defraud.”

Pranzo ran Docks on the Harbor for less than two years. He has also opened several eateries across six states, leaving behind a trail of missed payments and sudden closures, according to a Baltimore Sun report.

Pranzo‘s lease with Cordish Companies required he pay a portion of the restaurant’s sales to the landlord on top of a rent of $33,000 a month, which would increase each year, court documents said.

Over the course of the lawsuit, Pranzo did not respond to the Cordish Companies’ complaint, which prompted the landlord’s lawyers to file a motion for a summary judgement on April 11, according to the documents.

The judge granted the motion late last month and said that because there was “no general dispute of material fact,” Pranzo and Docks Baltimore LLC would pay $8,154,626.

Pranzo’s Dock’s Off 5th concept, which is similar to Docks on the Harbor, has branches in Memphis and New York City.

Neither Pranzo nor Cordish Companies responded to requests for comment.