Lawsuits target properties in Uptown, East Dallas for alleged discrimination, conditions issues

Landlords with properties in Uptown, Old East Dallas and Red Bird are the subject of new lawsuits filed by the city within the past few months.

The city of Dallas filed three lawsuits under the Dallas Fair Housing Ordinance, which covered claims of discrimination and bad conditions. 

The three lawsuits cover events that range from as early as 2022 to 2025. However, all three were filed within the span of a month. 

The series of lawsuits could signify a new focus on prosecuting landlords. The city of Dallas did not respond to requests for comment for this article. WFAA first reported on the city’s lawsuits.

The latest lawsuit was filed on April 7 against Zahir Properties Inc., which manages the Courthouse Apartments in Old East Dallas. 

The city filed the lawsuit after it received a fair housing complaint from Ja’Shaelyn Carmichael. She entered a six-month lease in 2021. After it expired, she repeatedly requested a renewal lease, which ultimately wasn’t approved.

According to the lawsuit, Carmichael noticed that the property manager allowed other tenants to move into a unit she requested to transfer into. 

Carmichael then received a notice requiring her to vacate the apartment. The lawsuit alleges that the property manager threatened to evict Carmichael, accused her of late rent, and provided shifting reasons for not renewing her lease. 

The lawsuit then alleges that he then told her he just didn’t want her in the apartment anymore and when she moved out a portion of her security deposit was withheld. 

Another lawsuit, filed by the city on April 1, named Texas Workforce Housing Foundation and KPM Property Management as respondents. The foundation owns Interlace Apartments; KPM manages the property. 

A tenant named in the lawsuit, Jacobee Newton, experienced persistent maintenance issues, the filing alleged. The issues included a malfunctioning refrigerator, unsecured front door and a ceiling leak.

He also requested to be relocated to the first floor as an accommodation for a disability that limited his ability to use the stairs. The companies named in the lawsuit allegedly didn’t grant his application.

The foundation and KPM have been the subject of lawsuits before. In August 2024, the nonprofit affordable housing developer and an entity associated with the property management company were sued by the city of Mesquite.

That 47-page lawsuit alleged that city inspectors had issued 750 citations for violations at Tradewinds Apartments since 2023. The case is still open, according to Dallas County documents.

Another lawsuit was filed against the foundation, KPM and various other entities in June 2025. That lawsuit alleged that multiple properties owned by the companies had issues impacting the well-being of tenants in about 1,136 units. 

The companies named in the lawsuit denied all of the allegations, and the lawsuit is set to go to trial in August, according to court filings.

Finally, the city filed a lawsuit on March 18 against Mid-America Apartments, or MAA.

MAA, which is based in Memphis, operates several communities throughout Dallas, including several in the Uptown area. 

The lawsuit alleges that a tenant was denied an accommodation for an emotional support animal at one the company’s Uptown sites, MAA Meridian. 

A tenant, Taylor Monroe, submitted a request in June 2024 for the accommodation, which included a clinical assessment and letter from one of her mental health providers.

That request was allegedly denied by a representative of the company because the provider was associated with an online emotional support animal registry and referral service, according to the lawsuit. 

Monroe continued to request an accommodation — sending a letter from another provider and more details from the first provider — but continued to be denied, according to the lawsuit.  

The lawsuit also alleged that MAA required Monroe to pay a $500 pet deposit and $20 monthly fee despite the pending requests. Imposing pet fees for assistance animals would be a violation of the ordinance.

All three cases are pending in Dallas County courts. In each case, the city is seeking as much as $200,000 in monetary relief.

All of the companies named in the three lawsuits didn’t respond to a request for comment. As of Friday, the property owners and management companies also haven’t filed responses in court.