Attorney General Schwalb Secures $41 Million for Marbury Plaza Tenants and District

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) won a $41 million judgment against the former owners of Marbury Plaza (now re-named Langston Views), MP PPH LLC and Dr. Anthony Pilavas, for neglecting the safety and habitability of the complex, defying a court order to fix dangerous conditions there, and putting the lives of more than 2,500 tenants at risk by forcing them to live with chronic water leaks, widespread mold, and a lack of air conditioning, heat, and hot water. The judgment is the largest ever against a DC property owner, and one of the largest housing conditions judgments against a landlord in US history.

OAG will work to collect the full restitution and penalty amounts. Both MP PPH LLC and Pilavas are jointly and severally liable for the amount awarded. OAG has already collected $1.1 million pursuant to a settlement agreement with Marbury Plaza's previous property manager, Vantage Management, and will distribute the entirety of those funds to impacted tenants.

"This is a significant and historic victory for thousands of Marbury Plaza tenants, who were subjected to dangerous and unlawful living conditions for years," said Attorney General Schwalb. "Every Washingtonian deserves a safe, healthy place to call home. When property owners fail to comply with District law, and especially when they defy court orders, my office will hold them accountable to the full extent of the law."

"Our landlord violated our rights, lied to us, and forced us to live in conditions no one should have to live in," said Barbara Cooper, President of the Langston Views Tenant's Association (formerly the Marbury Plaza Tenant's Association). "My apartment flooded dozens of times, and many of my neighbors went through the same thing or even worse. At first, people were afraid to speak up about what we were going through, but we learned about our rights and formed a tenants' association. It has been a long, hard fight for justice, but we are grateful to the Office of the Attorney General and our attorneys at Legal Aid. If it wasn't for the team at the Office of the Attorney General coming over, walking the property with us, and working with us, we never would have gotten this judgment."

"I commend the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General for its decisive action and successful litigation on behalf of the residents of Marbury Plaza, now known as Langston Views," said Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Tomora Redman (8A07). "This historic judgment underscores the District's commitment to protecting tenants' rights and ensuring safe, habitable housing for all residents. Washingtonians deserve action, not neglect-and this outcome shows what accountability looks like. I am proud to serve this community and proud of the residents who courageously spoke out as we all stood together for justice. Our community looks forward to continued oversight and meaningful improvements in living conditions."

Marbury Plaza is a large rent-controlled apartment complex in Ward 8 that is home to 2,500 residents. As of early 2025, the complex is under new ownership and is now called Langston Views. In 2021, OAG sued Marbury Plaza's former owner, MP PPH LLC (Marbury LLC); the managing member of MP PPH LLC, Dr. Pilavas; and now-former property manager, Vantage Management. The lawsuit, filed in DC Superior Court, alleged that these defendants allowed the complex to severely deteriorate, forcing tenants to live with conditions that endangered their lives and safety, including mold in 96% of the apartment units and in all of its 98 common areas, pervasive water leaks, failing plumbing and electrical systems, insect and rodent infestations, non-functioning elevators and air-conditioning, and other violations of District law.

In 2022, Marbury LLC agreed to a consent order requiring it to make repairs-but it subsequently ignored court-ordered deadlines and failed to make the promised improvements. The District moved to hold the company in contempt, and in April 2023, the Court ordered a 50% rent abatement for tenants. This rent credit was applied retroactively and was set to remain in effect until the company complied with the long-standing orders to repair the property. In total, the rent abatements returned more than $5 million to residents. Along the way, OAG successfully defeated Marbury LLC's mid-litigation appeal, which challenged a contempt finding and sought to recoup the rent refunds and credits that had been ordered.

In late 2024, OAG won summary judgment, which established the defendants' liability as a matter of law. The case then moved to a determination of the appropriate remedies. In its decision granting relief, the Court has ordered Marbury LLC and managing member Pilavas to:

• Pay $29.8 million in restitution to tenants. The defendants are required to return to tenants 75% of the rent they paid from 2017 to 2024. This will benefit the more than 1,000 households forced to endure dangerous and unlawful conditions during that time.
  
• Pay $11.1 million in civil penalties and attorneys' fees to the District.

In its order, the Court concluded that "[t]he award in this case . . . serve[s] as a reminder to landlords that legal intervention is best prevented by timely, ongoing investments that ensure their properties offer the habitable conditions to which all tenants in the District of Columbia have a legal right."

The order on remedies is available here.

The summary judgment order is available here.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Brendan Downes and Matthew Meyer. It was supervised by Special Counsel for Housing and Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Argatonia Weatherington, Senior Trial Counsel Laura Beckerman, as well as Chief of the Housing and Environmental Justice Section Joanna Wasik.

OAG's Enforcement Authority OAG exercises its enforcement authority under several District statutes and regulations to protect tenants, including the Tenant Receivership Act and the Construction Codes, which gives OAG authority to force landlords to fix health and safety issues at rental properties, and the Consumer Protection Procedures Act, which protects consumers-including tenants-from deceptive and unfair business practices. Resources for Tenants OAG works to ensure that residents across the District have access to safe and affordable housing and holds landlords accountable if they violate the law. Access OAG's resources to help renters for guidance on how to report problems with your landlord or your housing conditions. Tenants may send complaints about your housing conditions to [email protected].

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