Developer facing lawsuits, seized properties details plan to pay off tax debt
Derby developer Brant Dumford confirmed on Tuesday that the buildings that housed three of his restaurants — one in Wichita and two in Derby — had been seized by the Kansas Department of Revenue over nonpayment of sales and liquor drink excise taxes.
But he said that he’d have the tax debt paid off, likely within seven to 10 days, and that he had already made plans for all three of his restaurants. Another coffee shop group, he said, is interested in leasing both locations of The Coop — at 2812 E. Douglas in Wichita and at 104 N. Baltimore in Derby. And he said he planned to sell his interest in Layali Mediterranean restaurant to his partner and chef, Roni Attari.
Attari said Wednesday that the sale of Layali, which opened in 236 W. Greenway in Derby in 2024, was finalized on March 13. Attari said that, as part of the sale, he is not responsible for Layali’s tax debt.
Dumford, who The Eagle previously reported was facing $1.7 million in bank lawsuits and several tax warrants totalling around $61,000, said that his three buildings were seized Tuesday morning.
He has 30 days, he said, to pay the taxes, adding that his attorney was trying to figure out how the state was able to seize The Coop buildings since his company Dumford Coffee Co. LLC. — against whom the tax warrants regarding The Coop were filed — does not own the building or any of its assets. The Coop, he said, is a standalone entity owned by another of his companies, Brody Holdings LLC.
“This isn’t news because we knew all the tax warrants were there and it was coming,” he said. “We’re just getting acclimated and getting all of our ducks in a row and getting ready to take some of this stuff down.”
Three tax warrants against Dumford Coffee Co. LLC — one filed this year and two filed in 2025 — total just over $9,000.
There are also six unpaid tax warrants against Layali totalling around $25,000; six unpaid warrants in Dumford’s name totalling around $23,000; and around $4,200 owed on two unrelated Dumford businesses — Derby Dollar and Party LLC, and Derby Earthwise, court records show.
Dumford said Tuesday that he had just signed agreements with two different investor groups. One will provide operational cash, he said, and the other will pay off KS State Bank, which filed a lawsuit against Dumford on March 9 seeking foreclosure on four of his properties, including both locations of The Coop and Layali, as well as the principal amount owed plus accrued interest and fees, including late fees.
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Since The Eagle first published news about the suits and tax warrants Dumford was facing, another lawsuit has been filed. On March 27, Itria Ventures LLC — a Delaware-based limited liability company that provides loans to small- and medium-size businesses — filed a lawsuit against Layali and Dumford alleging breach of contract. The suit says that in February it stopped receiving weekly payments on a $62,500 loan issued in February 2025. The suit is asking for $49,509.64 plus attorneys fees.
Court records showed that Dumford is facing several other lawsuits. One was filed on Feb. 23 by Pave the Way of Wichita for $203,868.27 worth of unpaid paving work done at properties in Derby. Another was filed by Kingdom Capital Partners, a private debt fund specializing in residential investment property lending, which seeks foreclosure on two residential properties — one in Derby and one in Wichita — and is asking for a judgment of $120,492.59.
Court records also show that Dumford was ordered in January to pay Forward Financing LLC, a small business lender, an arbitration award of $62,225.52 plus prejudgment interest of $10,849.10 and 12% interest from Nov. 1 until the amount was paid in full.
Dumford has for the past decade been trying to develop Derby’s K-15 corridor. His two locations of The Coop and Layali have all recently been closed.
Attari, who is taking over Layali, said that he’s still trying to decide whether he’ll rebrand the operation or try to resurrect it as Layali. He’s trying to be intentional about his decisions, he said, but hopes to have the restaurant reopened in “weeks, not months.”
Attari defended Dumford, saying his intentions were good.
“Brant invested a significant amount of time, energy, and personal resources into creating something he believed would elevate the dining experience in Derby, and I think that effort deserves to be recognized,” Attari said in a message.
“More broadly, when businesses try to bring something new or more upscale to a community, it takes consistent support for those efforts to succeed. My hope is that the conversation shifts toward encouraging and supporting local businesses that are working to bring something meaningful and lasting to Derby.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 3:37 PM.
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