Now that’s cold.
A bitter divorce battle between the co-owners of a popular vegan East Village ice cream shop is threatening to shutter the hotspot, court records show.
Derek Hackett and ex-wife Blythe Boyd, both of Manhattan, opened Lula’s Apothecary in 2008 while still married — quickly establishing a loyal following that included Paul McCartney’s ex, Heather Mills.
But the couple got divorced in 2012 — and earlier this month, Hackett filed papers in Manhattan Supreme Court demanding the business be dissolved because Boyd is hoarding the profits for herself.
Hackett claims that his ex-wife has completely frozen him out of the business despite their equal ownership and that profits are tanking, court papers show.
“Boyd controls the operations and has looted, wasted or diverted for non-corporate purposes all assets,” he claimed in court papers.
“Boyd has substantially cut the hours of the retail location during the busiest season, the late spring and summer months, and as such continues to operate to the detriment of the shareholders.”
As a result, Hackett claims he’s on the edge of bankruptcy and wants the business shut down so he’s no longer liable for financial mismanagement, court papers show.
His filing also suggests that she is trying to force him out of the business in order to find a new investor, court records show.
But Boyd, 37, countered that she did all the work — and that Hackett just reaped the profits and used them to pay his rent.
“This was my idea,” she told The Post. .
“Lula is the name of my niece. The whole vision was mine. Having been a vegan for 15 years I wanted to do something related to that cause.”
Boyd said Hackett barely lifted a finger after Hurricane Sandy flooded the business.
“He expenses things through the company — sometimes his rent,” she said.
“He’s taking profits and not working here. If you’re not putting in any hours you’re not justified in taking 5 dollars.”
And she cut the store’s hours because of her disproportionate workload.
“I shortened the winter hours this winter for the first time,” she said. “Because I have to handle all the production at this point because he’s not around and I did the math it makes more sense to keep this hours for winter.”
Hackett would not comment other than to say it was a personal matter.
His lawyer, Kevin O’Donoghue, said that the divorce makes the current ownership structure untenable and said he expects a settlement.
“I have confidence in the business and would like to keep it running but we obviously we cant work together,” Boyd said. “We have different ideas of where we should be.”