Tyra Banks Asks the court for $50,000… About “Celebrity Shakedown”
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Tyra Banks is embroiled in a nasty legal battle over her ice cream business – claiming one owner is trying to “shake down celebrities”.
In court documents, Tyra… who is fighting with a Washington, D.C. landlord over an abandoned plan to open an ice cream shop… is now seeking more than $50,000 in penalties from the landlord who tried to take her to court.
Tyra said the owner knew she lived in Australia and had no real ties to America or Washington DC, where the complaint was filed. She said her move to the country from Australia had been highly publicized and the owner should have been aware of this.
It all started in October 2025, when a building owner named Christopher Powell — by and through her company — sued Tyra and her business partner and boyfriend, Louis Bélanger-Martin.
According to the lawsuit, Powell was in talks with Tyra and Louis to open a location for his ice cream business, Smize & Dream, in his Washington, D.C., building.
He claims Tyra told him the DC location would be the flagship store and would also help underserved youth in Washington.
The owner said Tyra and his business partner signed a 10-year lease for the location in April 2024. He claims he spent thousands of dollars fixing up the space.
The suit alleges that Tyra opened a store behind his back in Sydney, Australia. Christopher said he was upset because he had refused other tenants to sign the lease with her, causing him to lose money.
According to court documents, Tyra and her boyfriend abandoned the Washington location in June 2024 and refused to pay rent. The lawsuit says Tyra “used” her celebrity influence to dissuade him from suing her. Christopher demanded more than $2.8 million in damages.
Tyra has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. She claimed she terminated the lease for valid reasons, leading the landlord to demand $2.9 million, which Tyra called a “celebrity shakedown.”
The landlord ultimately voluntarily dismissed the case in December… but Tyra is now seeking sanctions for having to defend herself in the first place and wants the judge to send a strong message to the landlord.