The co-founder of Audiotree — the company that owns Lakeview music venue and bar, Schubas Tavern, and neighboring restaurant, Tied House — has been removed from his post following news of a civil suit filed against him and his wife.
Two recent graduates of DePaul University — who worked for the couple in various capacities including house manager, nanny, and personal assistant — say Johnston and his wife, Kelly Halverson, set up hidden cameras that used motion detection inside their Roscoe Village home to record nude footage of the women taken without their consent.
Another camera was disguised as an iPhone charging dock, the lawsuit claims, while a third camera was hidden in a bedroom one of the women was using: “The cameras Jane and Julie discovered were not childcare cameras or “nanny cams,” the lawsuit states, clarifying Halverson and Johnston had separate cameras to monitor their children.
They would later raze the Harmony Grill, the restaurant next to Schubas and replace it with the more upscale Tied House, which opened in 2018.
The resulting commotion forced Audiotree to make an Instagram post on Monday night stating that the company had removed Johnston on Saturday, November 12, and installed chief operating officer Adam Thurston as new president and CEO.
His attorney provided a statement to NBC5, saying his client is taking the charges seriously.