GALVESTON � Alleging that his apartment building in Galveston fell into disrepair because of mismanagement, Los Angeles resident Daniel Ikentani is pursuing legal action against Apartments Galveston and real estate broker Ginette Childress.
Ikentani's lawsuit, filed Feb. 25 in Galveston County District Court, claims that the defendants' alleged actions allowed the property located in the 2500 block of Avenue L to plummet in market value and be removed from the Galveston Housing Authority's list of approved dwellings.
According to the original petition, Ikentani, Childress and Apartments Galveston entered into agreements to manage the apartments in 2008. The plaintiff terminated the contract last April when he reportedly discovered numerous problems with the building.
Ikentani alleges the defendants lied to him about repairs and showed him pictures of another property to support their misrepresentations. He adds that a failure to pay bills and the accumulation of garbage prompted him to end the agreement.
The defendants also accepted money without permission and kept the funds even after the contract was terminated, the suit says. It lists more than three counts of wrongdoing.
Consequently, Ikentani seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
He is represented by attorney Kathleen Collins of Galveston.
Galveston County 405th District Court Judge Wayne Mallia is presiding over the case.
Case No. 11-cv-0341
Apartment owner sues management after building loses housing authority approval
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