Paul Teutul, Jr.

Paul Teutul, Jr.
Born (1974-10-02) October 2, 1974
Occupation Motorcycle designer and builder,
founder Paul Jr. Designs
co-founder Orange County Choppers
Television American Chopper
Spouse(s) Rachael Biester Teutul
Parent(s) Paul Teutul, Sr.
Website www.pauljrdesigns.com

Paul Michael "Paulie" Teutul (born October 2, 1974)[1] was one of the stars of the American reality television series American Chopper. He co-founded Orange County Choppers (OCC) with his father, Paul Teutul, Sr. in 1999. Teutul was the chief designer and fabricator of OCC. Prior to this, Teutul was head of the rail shop at Orange County Ironworks. He was also responsible for designing the logo for OCC. He is the owner of Paul Jr. Designs, which manufactures custom motorcycles and sells branded clothing.

Teutul, along with his father and younger brother Michael Teutul, became celebrities when Orange County Choppers became the focus of a reality television series American Chopper on Discovery Channel in 2002.

Lawsuit

Paul Sr, Paul Jr, and his brother Daniel are named in a 2007 lawsuit alleging fraud, brought on behalf of Turner Construction.[2] This dates back to 2003 and a ruling in favor of Turner in 2005[3] concerning the original OC Iron Works company. It is alleged that assets were stripped from the OC Ironworks, transferring the viable assets, contracts and personnel to a new company OC Ironworks LLC, before bankrupting the former. This involved transferring the ownership to Paul Jr. and allegedly selling the assets to the new company with unfair compensation. Trustee Tom Genova filed fraud complaints in 2007 with the Bankruptcy Court and in complaint sought to have the transfers from the old company to the new company judged fraudulent and set aside. He also sought to make the new company liable for the old company's debts. A proposed settlement was reached with Orange County LLC paying out $500,000 to Genova to be distributed to the creditors.[4]

On February 16, 2011, it was seen on the New York State Unified Court System's website,[5] that the Teutul v Teutul civil action is no longer active. The case has been "Disposed", meaning the case is out of the court system. On the August 29, 2011, episode, Teutul Jr. and Teutul Sr. settled the lawsuit with Teutul Sr.'s purchase of Paul Jr.'s 20% share in OCC, thus ending the lawsuit.

Falling out

On the April 9, 2009 episode of American Chopper, following a disagreement with his father and business partner, Teutul's employment was terminated. They attempted to resolve their disagreements, and he returned to work for OCC. The April 30, 2009 episode reveals that Teutul ultimately decided to voluntarily terminate his employment as a full-time member of the staff. In subsequent episodes, Teutul returned to OCC as a consultant, helping with bike builds when his father was away from the shop, and on motorbike builds needing additional manpower.

Paul Jr. Designs

Main article: Paul Jr. Designs

Teutul opened his own design firm Paul Jr. Designs,[6] and, in 2009, designed a dog park in Montgomery, New York.[7] His first product design was a "facelift" for Coleman's 10th anniversary "Roadtrip Grill" in 2010.[8][9] On the February 4, 2010 American Chopper episode "Stewart-Haas Bike", Paul pitched a line of dog toys to Bamboo Pets.[10]

It was reported in mid April 2010 by TMZ.com, that Paul Jr. planned to start his own motorcycle business to go head-to-head against OCC. The report states that Paul Jr. is bringing on several former OCC employees, including Michael Teutul, Vinnie DiMartino, Joe Puliafico, and Robert "Nub" Collard.[11] After waiting out a one year non-compete clause with Orange County Choppers, Paul Jr. began building motorcycles at PJD, which is featured on a new series, American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior, on the Discovery Channel. The company now competes directly with OCC. Former OCC employee Cody Connelly has since joined PJD.

Personal life

The oldest of the four Teutul children, Paul Jr. has two younger brothers: Daniel, the owner/general manager of Orange County Ironworks LLC, and Michael who featured on the television shows. The youngest of the Teutul children is sister Cristin, who currently works as a nurse in Rochester, New York. He has two step-brothers from his father's marriage to Beth Dillon: Burton Dillon III and Brent Dillon. Paul's mother is Paula Teutul, his father's first wife.

On August 20, 2010,[12] Paul Teutul Jr. married Rachael Biester.[13] They were on the TLC show Say Yes to the Dress.[13]

On February 3, 2015, Teutul's wife gave birth to their first son, Hudson Seven Teutul.[14]

References

  1. Biography for Paul Teutul, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
  2. http://www.thrnewmedia.com/assets/occhop.pdf
  3. Michael Levensohn. "OC Chopper clan accused of bankruptcy fraud". recordonline.com. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  4. Michael Levensohn. "Orange County Ironworks to pony up $500K to settle suit". recordonline.com. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  5. ecourts.com
  6. Fralic, Shelley (June 29, 2009). "American Chopper's junior partner decides to fly solo". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  7. Village park goes to the dogs, Meghan E. Murphy, Times Herald-Record, 10 December 2009 (retrieved 22 October 2010)
  8. "Coleman Roadtrip Grill by Paul Jr Designs". Paul Jr Designs.
  9. "PAUL JR. DESIGNS COLEMAN ROADTRIP GRILL". Coleman. 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  10. RECAP: American Chopper – Stewart-Haas Bike, Pilgrim Films & Television, 4 February 2010 (retrieved 23 October 2010)
  11. "American Chopper" Son: Out to Destroy Dad, TMZ.com, 15 April 2010
  12. "Paul Jr. Wedding Photos : American Chopper : Discovery Channel". Tlc.discovery.com. 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  13. 1 2 Rachael Biester and Paul Teutul Jr Get Married, Lalate, 23 August 2010 (retrieved 22 October 2010)
  14. "Our PJD Family Has Grown Today!". Paul Jr. Designs. February 3, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.

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