A dispute between unlikely protagonists – porn king Steve Crow and the New Plymouth RSA – has escalated with the threat of trespass orders against club officials.
Crow and his brother, Inglewood builder David Crow, bought the financially troubled old soldiers' clubrooms last year for $1.9 million.
They planned a $20 million residential and commercial development on the RSA land, and made several unpopular changes aimed at making the club profitable, creating tensions with the RSA executive committee.
RSA members last week voted for a new committee and soundly rejected Steve Crow's bid for three roles, the Taranaki Daily News reported.
On Friday, club president Roy Komene and senior vice-president Tex Schwass tried to bar the Crow brothers from entering the clubrooms.
In response, the brothers have demanded Mr Komene and Mr Schwass resign and threatened them with trespass notices should they enter the clubrooms.
The club has been given 15 working days to pay back $43,000 the brothers say it owes them.
Mr Crow said a verbal assault on his brother by Mr Komene in front of their mother had upset her a great deal.
The Crows said they had spent $700,000 on the club last year after promising their late father they would do everything they could to keep it going.
They now want that money back, plus a profit margin and every option is on the table, including selling the property and closing the club.
Mr Schwass said he had no comment to make.
Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association chief executive Stephen Clarke flew into New Plymouth yesterday to act as a mediator between the Crow brothers and RSA members.
NZPA