Lawsuits Target Dallas Apartment Complex Following Murder, Injuries to Minors

Firouzbakht Law Firm cases pinpoint deadly conditions at Riverstation Apartments

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Attorneys with Firouzbakht Law Firm have filed two lawsuits against the owners of Riverstation Apartments in southeastern Dallas following the murder of a 20-year-old man trying to sell his PlayStation in the complex’s parking lot and another shooting that left a 13-year-old with permanent leg injuries.

“Families deserve a safe place to live, not a complex where danger is ignored,” said firm founder Eric Firouzbakht. “Despite multiple incidents, the apartment owners have failed to take even the most basic security measures to protect residents. They have been fully aware of the ongoing violence on this property and have chosen profits over people.”

One of the two lawsuits was filed on behalf of 20-year-old Darius Young, who was killed while trying to sell his PlayStation in the Riverstation Apartment parking lot in October 2023. The filing says he was ambushed by a group of men who shot him several times and robbed him of the PlayStation and the belongings in his pockets. He died after being taken to a nearby hospital.

The Dallas Police Department later arrested 21-year-old Kevin Massengille in relation to the crime. He has since been charged with murder.

The other case was filed on behalf of two minor boys injured when a group of armed men “came into the complex through the opened gates and fired shots into the crowd of children playing outside,” according to the lawsuit. One of the children was shot in the stomach and treated at a nearby hospital. His brother suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his leg and now walks with a permanent limp.

Both cases claim that the property owners “chose to ignore all the signs that this complex was dangerous and created an environment where criminals felt comfortable terrorizing the community.” The lawsuits describe how the current owner of this property, Dallas Leased Housing, purchased the apartments in September 2021 and, despite the history of criminal activity that took place on the property before the sale, failed to employ any measures aimed at deterring crime.

In the three years leading up to Darius Young’s murder, the filings say there were several reports of violent crimes committed on this property, including another homicide in 2020.

The cases are Laquita Hightower v. Dallas Leased Housing Associates XI LLLP, Dominium Management Services LLC, cause no. DC-25-03073 and Tomminikki Lafitta v. Dallas Leased Housing Associates XI LLLP, Dominium Management Services LLC, cause no. DC-25-03072 in Dallas County.

About Firouzbakht Law Firm

Firouzbakht Law Firm is an award-winning legal team dedicated to securing justice on behalf of clients. With offices in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Denver, Firouzbakht Law Firm helps those who have been hurt as a result of apartment complex violence and wrongful death cases. For more information, visit https://firouzbakhtlawfirm.com/