Overview
- The complaint says Banks, Smize & Dream, the School of SMiZE, and Louis Martin signed a 10-year lease in April 2024 for a D.C. flagship, then abandoned the site in June and stopped paying rent.
- Landlord Christopher Powell seeks at least $2,831,331 plus late fees, interest, additional rent, attorneys’ fees, and reletting costs under the lease.
- Defendants moved to dismiss on Nov. 11 for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim, and Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted an extension for Powell’s response.
- The court set Dec. 16 as the deadline for the plaintiff’s opposition to the dismissal bid, keeping the case active pending further filings.
- The filing also alleges the defendants promoted other locations—including a Sydney flagship and a nearby D.C. pop-up—and made false property complaints while saying any judgment would go unpaid; Banks and Martin have not commented.