Vitthal 4, LLC has taken legal action against the City of Jersey Village, Texas, alleging unfair enforcement of a local hotel ordinance. On April 15, 2025, Vitthal 4, LLC filed a complaint in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, accusing the City of Jersey Village of improperly applying its Hotel Ordinance. This legal battle highlights the tension between local government regulations and business operations within city limits.
The plaintiff, Vitthal 4, LLC, operates a Quality Suites hotel in Houston and argues that the City of Jersey Village has wrongly classified their establishment under Tier-2 of its Hotel Ordinance. This classification is based on an alleged inflated ratio of service calls to hotel rooms—a metric that triggers more stringent operational requirements for hotels deemed Tier-2. According to Vitthal's petition, this ordinance was enacted in 2013 and divides hotels into two tiers based on this ratio. The lawsuit claims that Jersey Village included irrelevant service calls in their calculations—such as vehicle accidents unrelated to the hotel or calls initiated by hotel staff—which should not count towards the hotel's call-for-service room ratio (CFS Room Ratio).
Vitthal contends that these inaccuracies have led to an erroneous Tier-2 designation for their hotel. They argue that such a classification imposes severe regulatory burdens including mandatory security measures and restrictions on room rentals which significantly impact profitability. "Jersey Village's reliance on flawed data has resulted in an arbitrary and capricious enforcement," states Vitthal in their petition. The company further alleges that other hotels with similar or higher CFS Room Ratios have not been subjected to the same classification or regulatory demands.
Seeking judicial intervention, Vitthal requests a declaratory judgment from the court to affirm that Jersey Village's application of the Hotel Ordinance is unlawful and inconsistent with its intended purpose. They are asking for a declaration stating that their hotel does not meet the criteria for Tier-2 classification and thus should not be subjected to those heightened operational standards. Additionally, they seek recovery of reasonable attorney’s fees as permitted under Texas law.
Representing Vitthal 4, LLC is Pimal A. Patel from Patel Anderson LLP located in Houston. The case is presided over by judges at Harris County District Court under Case ID: 2025-27322.