Oak View Group, the company that managed Fair Park until Dallas cut ties with it last year, has sued the city and the nonprofit Fair Park First, seeking $20 million in damages.
The suit was filed Wednesday in the Texas Business Court, The Dallas Morning News reported. It accuses the city and the nonprofit of wrongfully ending Oak View Group's management contract, which ran through 2038, and of making false statements about the company that it calls "intentional and malicious."
What the company claims
The filing seeks at least $5.72 million in fees and expenses the company says it is owed, plus compensation for the years left on the contract, according to the News and WFAA. Among the allegations, as reported by WFAA:
- the city did not disclose how poor the park's infrastructure was;
- city and nonprofit officials withheld or redirected money meant for park operations in 2024 and 2025, leaving vendors unpaid;
- promised capital improvement money was reduced; and
- tenants, including the State Fair of Texas, were encouraged to send rent somewhere other than the park's official account.
The company says that during its tenure it invested $1 million, more than doubled park revenue and saved the city over $40 million in operating costs.
"Despite extensive efforts to resolve these matters directly, Oak View Group has been left with no choice but to file this action," Megan K. Smith, an attorney for the company with Willkie Farr & Gallagher, said in a statement reported by WFAA.
The city's side
City officials declined to comment, citing the pending litigation, the News reported.
