DES MOINES, Iowa — Steps away from the Court Avenue District sits Des Moines' newest event space, which books out years in advance: The River Center.
Recently, the owner of The River Center was accused of missing rent payments by their landlord, Green Limited, resulting in an ongoing legal battle.
"A dispute arose about back rent, mostly during COVID, about whether it's owed or not," said attorney Bob Douglas, who represents Green Limited. "We tried to work it out and weren't able to."
Back in February, the landlord filed a lawsuit against the center's owner Michael LaValle, citing that they had forgiven three months of base rent payments in 2016.
Four years later in 2020, the rent forgiveness ended, and LaValle was told that those rent obligations would be starting up again.
Attorneys for Green Limited claim that full rent amounts were never paid, and that there still remains an outstanding balance from October of 2020 to November of 2021.
LaValle filed a countersuit, claiming his landlord deliberately overcharged him for years on both rent and other expenses. He and his council also filed an injunction against the original suit, denying Green's allegations and remanding a trial.
A trial date has now been set for August of 2024, which leaves time for either entity to propose a settlement.
The River Center is up to date on all of their recent rent payments, so there is no risk of eviction or scheduled events being cancelled this summer.