RICHMOND – A lawsuit filed this month accuses Richmond City Councilwoman Doria Robinson and her partner, Najari Smith, of wrongfully evicting Smith's former business partner from his home and ignoring conditions that made the apartment uninhabitable.
The lawsuit, filed August 19 in Contra Costa Superior Court, is just the most recent development in a months-long dispute over the closed Rich City Rides bike shop.
Roshni McGee is searching for greater than $1 million in damages, alleging he was illegally evicted from his home at 801 Marina Way South #2 before his lease expired, court records show.
The lawsuit is against McGee's landlords – Smith, who runs the nonprofit Rich City Rides, property owner Charles Patterson, Robinson and the nonprofit she runs, Urban Tilth. McGee co-founded the Rich City Rides Bike Cooperative with Smith and likewise served as co-owner, CEO and program director.
The group of defendants is accused of causing McGee “emotional distress, discomfort, annoyance, physical injury, pain and suffering” by failing to properly maintain the house where McGee lived from 2019 to May 2023, the lawsuit says. Starting in early 2023, McGee was harassed and intimidated with the intent to evict him from the house, the lawsuit says.
McGee claims they neglected insect and rodent infestations, mold and mildew, broken plumbing and locks, holes within the partitions and gaps within the flooring.
“These deficiencies were serious and had existed for a long time,” the lawsuit states.
According to the five-year lease attached to the grievance, McGee agreed to pay $1,700 a month plus utilities. The lease expired in August 2024, but McGee says he moved out in May 2023. According to 2 checks attached to the court documents, McGee received $16,000 from Urban Tilth to vacate the premises.
Robinson, who represents the Third District on the City Council and has served as executive director of Urban Tilth since 2007, declined to comment on the lawsuit “due to the legal nature of these matters.” But she said the lawsuit was “a continuation of political attacks” by former Richmond Mayor Tom Butt and his sons Andrew and Daniel. Daniel Butt is currently representing McGee within the case.
Earlier this month, the previous mayor filed a grievance with the state's election regulator accusing Robinson of a conflict of interest due to “commingling of funds and concerns about a connection” between Robinson and the nonprofit Rich City Rides during her tenure on the City Council. The Fair Political Practices Commission responded that Butt provided no evidence to support his claims and that Robinson had previously told her she followed legal advice and abstained from voting on Urban Tilth, Rich City Rides' financial sponsor.
“I am confident that these new allegations will be proven to be baseless when the truth comes to light,” Robinson said of McGee's lawsuit.
Robinson also accused McGee of stealing inventory and embezzling funds from Rich City Bike Shop, which closed earlier this yr. McGee didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment through his attorney. However, his attorney, Daniel Butt, posted on social media that Smith “defamed” McGee and retaliated against him.
Smith initially reported a burglary to police, but after an initial investigation, officers believed no burglary had occurred. However, other possible crimes are still being investigated, Lt. Donald Patchin, a spokesman for Richmond police, confirmed in an email Tuesday.
“It appears to be a business dispute between the owners/operators of the business,” Patchin said. “After the initial report, investigators determined that while there does not appear to have been a break-in, there were some possible crimes related to the handling of business funds and property.”
image credit : www.mercurynews.com