The lawsuit against Douglas Emmett comes ahead of the landlord’s eviction this week of more than 600 tenants from Barrington Square, one of West Los Angeles’ largest multifamily buildings.
The publicly traded real estate investment trust evicted tenants under a California law known as the Ellis Act in preparation for a $300 million fire sprinkler makeover.about a week ago widely reported evictionsthe company received a reminder to deal with property fire safety.
On May 1, Barrington Plaza tenant Sergei Maidaniuk filed a lawsuit against Douglas Emmett in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging breach of contract and causing a private nuisance for allegedly ignoring the issue.
The complex has seen two fires, one in 2013 and another in 2020, in which a man died. Douglas Emmett settled in 2019 over fire safety issues at Barrington Plaza. But some tenants still have security concerns.
“Simply put, Barrington Place is a ticking time bomb and deeply unsafe,” the lawsuit says. The company also allows short-term rental companies to sublease space, according to Maidaniuk’s lawsuit.
“Douglas Emmett allowed and permitted Airbnb strangers to enter the Barrington Plaza property for short-term lodgings, creating the dangerous potential of having a different convicted felon or bad actor next door each night,” the lawsuit says.
read more
An attorney for the plaintiffs, personal injury firm McNicholas & McNicholas, did not respond to a request for comment. A representative for Douglas Emmett said the company had not seen the complaint and would not comment on the lawsuit.
Barrington Plaza is located at 11740 Wilshire Boulevard in the Sawtelle area of West Los Angeles. It’s three miles from 1221 Ocean Avenue, a luxury building Douglas Emmett bought last year for $330 million.
