Tyra Banks is locked in a bitter legal dispute tied to her ice cream business, accusing a Washington, D.C. landlord of attempting what she calls a “celebrity shakedown.”
According to court documents, Tyra is seeking more than $50,000 in sanctions after the landlord sued her over a failed plan to open a Smize & Dream ice cream shop in his building. She argues the lawsuit was improper and claims the landlord knew she resides in Australia and has no substantial ties to Washington, D.C., where the case was filed. Tyra says her relocation to Australia was widely publicised and should not have come as a surprise.
The dispute began in October 2025 when building owner Christopher Powell, through his company, filed a lawsuit against Tyra and her business partner and boyfriend, Louis Bélanger-Martin. Powell alleged that he had been in discussions with the pair to open a flagship Smize & Dream location in Washington, D.C., which he said was also intended to support underserved youth in the area.
He claimed Tyra and Bélanger-Martin signed a 10-year lease in April 2024 and that he invested thousands of dollars renovating the space in anticipation of the store’s opening. However, Powell alleged that Tyra instead opened a location in Sydney, Australia, and that he had turned away other potential tenants to secure the deal with her, causing him financial losses.
The lawsuit further claimed that Tyra and her partner abandoned the D.C. location in June 2024 and stopped paying rent. Powell sought more than $2.8 million in damages, alleging that Tyra had “weaponized” her celebrity status to discourage him from taking legal action.
Tyra denied the allegations, maintaining that she terminated the lease for legitimate reasons. She characterised the landlord’s demand for nearly $2.9 million as an attempt at a “celebrity shakedown.”
Although the landlord voluntarily dismissed the case in December, Tyra is now asking the court to impose sanctions, arguing she should not have been forced to defend herself in what she views as an unfounded lawsuit.