Attorney Martin Phipps, owner of the rooftop bar Paramour, last week agreed to surrender the space to resolve eviction cases brought by landlord CDC Enterprises LP.
San Antonio Express-News file photo
Attorney Martin Phipps built the building at 102 Ninth St. on the River Walk. Last week, his rooftop bar and law firm agreed to surrender their spaces to end an eviction cases.
Lily O’Neill/San Antonio Express-News
On Sept. 18, a representative for CDC Enterprises LP, the owner of the building at 102 Ninth St., had posted notices that Holy Spirts LLC, which operates the Paramour cocktail bar, and Martin Phipps’ law firm were delinquent on rent.
Lily O’Neill/San Antonio Express-News
A sign outside the building at 102 Ninth St. markets the building, now renamed the Paradigm, for lease.
Lily O’Neill/San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio attorney Martin Phipps’ rooftop cocktail bar Paramour and his law firm have agreed to surrender their spaces in a River Walk office building, after a long-running dispute that has included multiple lockouts.
The agreements require both to give up possession immediately, though they can return on weekdays through Oct. 30 to remove their belongings.
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Phipps and Glenn Deadman, attorney for landlord CDC Enterprises LP, signed both agreements Friday, the same day the eviction cases were set for trial before Justice of the Peace Anna Campos, who also signed the agreements.
They came three weeks after CDC locked out Paramour and the Phipps Ortiz Talafuse law firm from the building at 102 Ninth St. for the third time since June 2024. Notices posted on the doors Sept. 18 said both tenants were delinquent on rent and that the locks had been changed.
READ MORE: Paramour rooftop bar owners locked out of San Antonio building again
Lockouts culminate in eviction agreements
In March, a justice of the peace ruled CDC had acted unlawfully when it locked out the bar and law firm that month because it had not given them the required 14 days’ notice. The judge said CDC could still pursue eviction through other legal means. CDC filed new eviction cases in July, alleging unpaid rent; the cases were set for trial Oct. 9, the day the agreements were signed.
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They resolve those eviction cases, the latest legal actions in a years-long fight between Phipps and CDC principal Daren Connel. The two were childhood friends who attended school together in Breckenridge in West Texas.
Deadman declined to comment on the agreements. Phipps’ wife, Julisa, an owner of Paramour, declined to comment.
Phipps rose to prominence after representing Bexar County in a 2018 lawsuit against opioid manufacturers that resulted in a $14.5 million settlement.
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Phipps has faced other legal troubles. In August, he was arrested on a charge of making a terroristic threat against a family member. He has denied the allegation. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 21.
Dispute stems from sale of River Walk building
Phipps built the 30,000-square-foot building that has been home to Paramour and his firm in 2014. After he faced possible foreclosure, he sold it in 2022 to CDC for $11 million. Phipps said $2.75 million of the purchase price was supposed to be a prepaid rent credit for his law firm and Paramour. CDC disputed that.
RELATED: S.A. attorney loses trial in battle with former pal over River Walk building
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CDC sued Phipps and Holy Spirits LLC, which operates Paramour, in 2024, seeking damages and a ruling that CDC owned the building. It also sought to evict Paramour for allegedly failing to pay rent. Phipps and several of his companies countersued, arguing the sale agreement was fraudulent and unenforceable and seeking more than $5 million.
A jury last year found Phipps and his companies committed fraud against CDC and directed them to pay more than $1.2 million in damages and attorney fees. The jury awarded Phipps’ companies nothing. Before the verdict, a judge ruled CDC held title to the building.
Phipps and his companies appealed and sought to pause enforcement of the judgment by posting bonds. The bonds would provide security for CDC if the judgment is upheld. On Oct. 1, the 4th Court of Appeals sent the case back to the trial court to set specific bond amounts for different parts of the judgment. It did not rule on the merits of the appeal.