Boludo, the buzzy Minneapolis pizza and empanada chain, is now serving up legal drama instead of just fugazzeta. Co-owners Jerad Rasmussen and Facundo Defraia are locked in a very public fight that has spilled into court, put a downtown location at risk of eviction, and raised fresh questions about who is actually running the company as bills stack up.
What the suits say
According to court filings, Rasmussen is suing Defraia for unjust enrichment, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty. Defraia has fired back with a counterclaim accusing Rasmussen of trying to edge him out of management and business accounts. The filings and reporting outline sharply disputed financial moves, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchant credit-card loans used to bankroll an out-of-state expansion and a January judgment from a merchant-advance firm, as reported by the Star Tribune.
Ownership on the record
On paper, city licensing and inspector records show Defraia listed on multiple applications as holding roughly 70 percent of several Boludo entities. Rasmussen is more often listed as a smaller partner or a primary contact. Those municipal filings also tie the business to local addresses used in the partners' push to grow the brand, according to Minneapolis Licenses and Consumer Services documents.
Eviction filing and overdue bills
Meanwhile, the downtown Boludo on S. 4th Street is staring down an eviction case. The landlord alleges the restaurant skipped monthly rent payments and other required charges. The filing lists missed rent of $7,887 for February and March and more than $27,000 in unpaid obligations overall, according to details reported by the Star Tribune.
Labor fines linger
The ownership feud is unfolding on top of an earlier federal hit. In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor ordered Boludo Holding Co. to pay roughly $105,700 in back wages, damages, and penalties after investigators found unpaid overtime, improper tip pools, and child-labor violations at multiple locations. The agency also required changes to payroll procedures and repayment to affected workers, according to a department news release.
Miami expansion and the fallout
Defraia opened a Boludo in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood in December 2024, only to shut it down in late 2025 after he told reporters that high rent and slow business made the spot unsustainable. Those expansion moves, and the merchant loans tied to them, sit at the center of the partners' dueling legal narratives. Boludo's public site currently lists only its El 38 location on W. 38th Street, per reporting by Axios and the company's site boludo.com.
Legal implications
If the landlord prevails on the eviction or creditors step up collection efforts, the downtown restaurant could be forced to close or be sold to cover debts. Any outstanding judgments could also drain operating cash from the remaining locations. Between the federal wage order and the tangle of civil suits, it may end up being judges and collectors, not hungry customers, who determine whether Boludo gets to keep its doors open.
What’s next
For now, the dispute is locked into the public record and set to grind through civil filings and potential collection efforts in the coming months. While the lawyers argue, employees, regulars, and neighborhood diners are left wondering whether Boludo's signature pizzas and empanadas will outlast the highly visible split between its partners.
