Compass Coffee Founder Dispute Ends with Settlement

A nearly two-year legal battle between the co-founders of Washington D.C.-based Compass Coffee has concluded with a settlement and the dismissal of a lawsuit. The dispute centered on allegations of fraud and the eventual sale of the coffee chain's assets.

The terms of the deal between co-founder Harrison Suarez and father-son duo Robert and Michael Haft were not publicly disclosed, according to the Washington Business Journal. Lawyers for both sides filed a stipulation of voluntary dismissal in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on October 8, 2026, stating that Suarez's claims had been resolved. Each party agreed to bear its own costs and attorneys' fees.

Suarez filed his lawsuit in January 2025, alleging that the Hafts had concealed ownership arrangements and defrauded him of the value of the coffee chain he helped build. He claimed that the Hafts had deceived him for years into believing he was an equal partner.

The Hafts denied wrongdoing, arguing that the dispute stemmed from a falling-out between former business partners rather than a deliberate fraud scheme. The resolution follows a Chapter 11 filing and the sale of all Compass Coffee assets to another company.