Tyra Banks files $2.8M lawsuit against DC ice cream shop
A landlord in Northeast Washington, DC has filed a civil action against model Tyra Banks and her business partner, Louis Martin, seeking $2.8 million in damages. The suit alleges that the duo breached a ten‑year commercial lease for a pop‑up ice‑cream shop owned by Banks’ Smize and Dream company.
Banks and Martin met with property owner Christopher Powell in March 2024 and signed the lease on April 17, 2024. In June, the pair vacated the premises and stopped paying rent, according to the complaint. Powell claims he had made extensive financial investments and had rejected other potential tenants in preparation for the shop’s opening.
The shop opened in July 2024, after a formal notice of lease termination was sent by Banks and Martin on September 9, citing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing deficiencies in the building. Powell contended that only two retail spaces and two office spaces were available on the bottom three floors.
In August, Powell demanded payment, and he filed the $2.8 million lawsuit in October in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Powell’s attorney, Arziki Adamu, faces a December 30 deadline to respond to the defendants’ motion to dismiss.