A shocking incident at a Houston apartment complex has led to a lawsuit that could set a precedent for property management accountability. Ghalib Abbas, the plaintiff, filed a complaint on December 13, 2024, in the District Court of Harris County against GPI Mansions, LLC and GPI Real Estate Management, LLC. The lawsuit stems from an alleged violent assault on Abbas at the Mansions of Shadowbriar apartment complex.
According to the petition filed by Abbas, he was brutally attacked on December 19, 2022, while exiting his vehicle in the parking lot of his residence at 12100 Overbrook Lane. The attack involved four assailants who demanded money and physically assaulted him with a firearm, resulting in severe injuries including head trauma and facial lacerations. The plaintiff claims that this incident is part of a pattern of criminal activity in and around the apartment complex that should have been addressed by the defendants.
Abbas accuses GPI Mansions and GPI Real Estate Management of negligence and gross negligence for failing to provide adequate security measures despite being aware of prior incidents involving thefts and assaults within the premises. He alleges that there were at least two previous incidents where residents were either robbed or shot at gunpoint. Abbas's legal team argues that these circumstances created a foreseeable risk that required proactive safety measures which were not implemented by the defendants.
The lawsuit seeks monetary relief not exceeding $250,000 along with non-monetary relief for physical pain, mental anguish, medical expenses incurred due to injuries sustained during the assault, as well as punitive damages for gross negligence. Abbas also demands pre-judgment and post-judgment interest at the highest legal rate allowed by law. His attorneys are calling for a jury trial to resolve these issues.
Representing Abbas is Aqrawi & Associates PLLC with attorneys Walat "Walter" Aqrawi, Aaron Aiken, John R. Leach III, and Michelle Miller leading the case. The case is presided over by Judge Rhonda Momon under Case ID 2024-86744 in Harris County's 125th District Court.