Chanicka Cowling, representing the estate of her deceased brother, has filed a compelling lawsuit against a Houston apartment complex and its management group. The complaint was lodged on March 14, 2025, in Harris County District Court against Sterling Point and Milagro Apartments, along with 2015 Houston Sterling Point, LLC, and Eureka Multifamily Group, L.P. This legal action arises from a tragic incident that led to the death of U.L. Ophis Arnett due to alleged negligence on the part of the defendants.
The lawsuit details a harrowing account of events on November 28, 2023, when U.L. Ophis Arnett suffered fatal injuries in a fire at his residence within the Sterling Point and Milagro Apartments located at 6500 Dunlap St., Houston. According to the petition filed by Cowling, smoke detectors in Arnett's apartment and surrounding units were either defective or absent entirely. This critical failure allegedly deprived Arnett of any warning about the impending danger, ultimately resulting in his untimely death. "Had the unit been subjected to proper repairs and inspections," states Cowling's filing, "fire alarms would have given Decedent warning of the fire and the chance to escape."
Cowling accuses the defendants of maintaining an unreasonably dangerous condition on their property and failing to exercise ordinary care by not addressing known hazards. The lawsuit claims that these negligent acts directly contributed to Arnett's death. Furthermore, it argues that defendants did not fulfill their duty to warn residents about potential dangers despite being aware—or reasonably expected to be aware—of such risks.
The plaintiff is seeking significant damages for both tangible losses such as funeral expenses and medical bills incurred due to Arnett’s death and intangible damages including loss of consortium, mental anguish, loss of society and companionship, loss of inheritance, financial support Arnett would have provided had he lived longer, as well as conscious pain and suffering endured by him before his demise.
Additionally, Cowling seeks exemplary damages against the defendants for what she describes as actions taken with conscious disregard for safety—a level of malice intended to deter similar conduct in Texas moving forward. The complaint emphasizes that recovery is sought based on general allegations of negligence without limiting liability solely to enumerated negligent acts.
Representing Chanicka Cowling is attorney Adam Criaco from Criaco & Samp Law Firm based in Houston. The case has been assigned Case ID 2025-17491 under Judge Wanda Chambers' jurisdiction in Harris County's 127th Judicial District Court.