A Washington, D.C., landlord filed a $2.8 million lawsuit against supermodel-turned-entrepreneur Tyra Banks and her business partners Friday, alleging they abandoned plans for a flagship ice cream shop after signing a long-term lease.
The civil complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, claims Banks, her ice cream venture Smize & Dream and partner Louis Martin entered a 10-year commercial lease for retail space in the city’s Eastern Market neighborhood in April 2024.
Instead of opening the Washington location, the lawsuit says Banks and her team dropped the project that summer and shifted attention to a Sydney, Australia, shop.
Lease Dispute Over Abandoned Storefront
Landlord Christopher Powell asserts in the complaint that he signed the lease expecting long-term tenancy and investment in his property. He says he spent months coordinating with the team about build-out plans.
“Although Mr. Powell made repeated good-faith efforts to resolve this matter amicably, he is now left with deep financial loss,” the lawsuit states.
Powell is seeking at least $2,831,331, plus interest, legal fees and other costs allowed under the lease.
According to the complaint, Banks and Martin vacated the space in June 2024, stopped paying rent and declined further communication about their obligations. Weeks later, the lawsuit says, a Smize & Dream pop-up appeared nearby while the original lease was still in effect.
Banks and her legal team have called the lawsuit meritless. In court filings, they argue the lease was signed by School of SMiZE LLC, not the individuals, and contend the plaintiff’s claims are an “opportunistic ploy by Plaintiff to extort money from Defendants.”
The motion to dismiss also states the defendants raised unresolved property deficiencies as a reason for withdrawing from the lease, claims Powell’s complaint calls false.
Plans That Never Materialized
Banks launched Smize & Dream in recent years, blending premium ice cream with a mission to empower underserved youth through entrepreneurship.
The Washington location was to serve as a flagship and community incubator, but legal records show it never opened. Instead, the company’s first proper shop now operates in Sydney, where Smize & Dream’s “hot ice cream” concept has attracted attention.