Workers arriving at Paramour and staff from the law offices that helped give a River Walk building its identity showed up to find chains on the doors and a blunt message this week: "Your rent is delinquent." The owner had changed the locks at the 30,000-square-foot property at 102 Ninth Street, cutting off access to the rooftop bar and the law firm that share the building in the latest turn in a years-long fight filled with eviction suits, appeals and a jury verdict.
Lockout Drama, Writ Of Reentry And Taped Notices
The building’s new owner, CDC Enterprises LLC, told tenants it swapped out the locks over unpaid rent and common-area charges, and a notice taped to Paramour’s entrance instructed tenants to clear what is owed in order to get a new key, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Paramour’s parent company secured a justice-court writ of reentry that should allow it back in, but CDC’s attorney said Tuesday afternoon, around 3 p.m., that no one had yet picked up a key. Glenn Deadman, counsel for CDC, told reporters he believes the reentry filing was made in "bad faith" and has pushed for a hearing within five days to argue that the lockout should remain in place.
How The Building Changed Hands
The dispute tracks back to a 2022 arrangement in which developer Martin Phipps, who built out the property in 2014, transferred the building to a company run by his friend Daren Connel in an effort to avoid foreclosure, as previously reported by MySA. CDC later went to court to collect rent and moved to evict both Paramour and the law firm as the parties traded legal filings. Court records and earlier coverage indicate that base rent at the site is substantial and that CDC has claimed more than $1 million in unpaid rent, fees and interest.
Jury Verdict, Financing And Unpaid Judgment
In a separate trial last year, a jury sided with CDC and ordered companies tied to Phipps to pay more than $1.2 million in damages and attorneys’ fees, and reporters noted that CDC financed much of the 2022 purchase with an $8.25 million loan and a $2.75 million down-payment substitute, according to the San Antonio Express-News. After that verdict, Connel told reporters, "I wish that it was over, but I don't think that it is," a comment that neatly captured how personal relationships have spilled into the legal fight. The judgment, entered late last year, has not been paid, a fact CDC’s attorney points to as support for the decision to padlock the doors.
Legal Stakes And Next Steps
Texas law gives commercial tenants a defined playbook for pushing back. Under Texas Property Code §93.003, a tenant can file a sworn complaint in justice court and, if the judge finds an unlawful lockout likely occurred, obtain an ex parte writ of reentry that temporarily restores possession while a full hearing is set, according to Justia. The statute also sets limits on when landlords may exclude tenants and outlines remedies for wrongful lockouts, opening the door for either side to seek damages and attorney fees depending on what a court ultimately decides. For now, CDC has requested a hearing to defend the lockout, while Paramour and the law firm still have legal tools that could get them back inside quickly if a judge agrees.
Downtown Disruption
The legal wrangling is not just paperwork. The bar briefly told customers it would be closed for a few days, then pulled that notice as the filings started flying, Yahoo reported. Workers and weekend reservations were left in limbo. Local coverage has also detailed how earlier lockouts and eviction moves in this same feud have hit payroll and forced abrupt cancellations, a costly kind of déjà vu for staff and patrons alike. More filings and at least one court date are expected in the coming days as both sides double down on their positions.
