The Daytime Emmy-winning producer, who earlier this week was charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his tenant and roommate, is now being sued by several other tenants, who claim he’s a slumlord.
While Baustista sat behind bars, the lawsuit was filed Wednesday by tenants of a building he co-owns and co-manages in Hollywood with business partner Geoffrey Lichtman.
Legal documents obtained by TheWrap say the building is decaying and that Bautista — who’s being sued under his professional name, Andre Bauth — and Lichtman rented to tenants “under the guise of enrollment in the Artist Advantage Group Academy” which gave them tenancy in the rent-controlled building.
However, the suit alleges, Bautista and Lichtman didn’t register the rental units, as required by Los Angeles’ Rent Stabilization Ordinance, and failed to obtain a valid certificate of occupancy.
Moreover, the suit says, the building is a total hell-hole, with vermin infestation; deteriorated and worn walls and ceilings; faulty and leaking pipes; faulty wiring and unsanitary and worn flooring, among other issues.
The tenants claim that they brought the issues to Bautista and Lichtman’s attention, but they either ignored them or repaired them “in a haphazard and substandard manner.”
The tenants also claim that Bautista and Lichtman retaliated against them by removing their furniture and property from the building, filing unlawful detainer actions “in an attempt to wrongfully evict Plaintiffs.”
The pair’s conduct has been “willful, oppressive and malicious,” the suit claims, and the condition of the building has led to “injuries and health problems” as well as “mental suffering, frustration and emotional distress.”
The plaintiffs’ attorney, Eric Castelblanco, told Fox 11 Los Angeles that the tenants paid about $600 a month to stay at the building and attend the Artists Advantage Group Academy, which turned out to be bogus.
“Over time it wasn’t even an academy at all. There were no tools for us to use. There was no legitimate curriculum. There were no scheduled teachers,” Bobby Jones, one of the plaintiffs, said. The suit is seeking damages totaling at least a million dollars.
As for the attempted murder charge, Bautista allegedly attacked 23-year-old actor Clayton Haymes with a kitchen knife at their Studio City home on Sept. 8.
The incident reportedly happened after Bautista bragged that he would one day win five Oscars and Haymes scoffed at the notion.
Bauth received his Daytime Emmy for producing the online soap opera series, “The Bay.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
Hollywood's Most Outrageous Lawsuits (Photos)
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.
Lindsay Lohan filed suit against Fox News and Sean Hannity on Feb. 2, 2015, after a news correspondent accused Lohan's mom of snorting cocaine with her troubled daughter. It didn't take long for Fox to fire back. “We will defend this case to the fullest,” the network told TheWrap the next day.
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A former nanny for Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon filed a lawsuit on Jan. 28, 2015, alleging she was fired after showing the couple's kids too much affection and did not receive overtime pay despite working 100 hours per week.
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Legendary funk artist Sly Stone won $5 million on Jan. 27, 2015, after suing his former manager and entertainment attorney for misappropriating royalties owed him for more than 20 years.
Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” executive producers Patrick Moses and Kevin Kaufman filed a suit against Bravo in Nov. 2014, claiming they were deceitfully ousted from the show and bilked out of millions of dollars after helping to create the show and the franchise.
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Jessie Nizewitz, a contestant on VH1’s “Dating Naked,” filed suit in New York in Aug. 2014, seeking $10 million in damages for emotional distress, humiliation and embarrassment after the show allegedly failed to properly blur her genitals.
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Octavia Spencer was awarded $940,000 in Dec. 2014 after claiming a weight loss company, Sensa Products Inc., wrongfully fired her from an endorsement deal and still owed her money.
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Former Tinder executive Whitney Wolfe filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former company June 2014, alleging she was repeatedly called a "whore" by CMO Justin Mateen and was stripped of her co-founder title simply for being a woman.
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Former TMZ producer Jarrett Gaeta slapped his former employer with a lawsuit in June 2014, claiming he was wrongly terminated. Gaeta was let go after a subordinate accused him of "racist behavior," including defending blackface and sending pictures of watermelons to African-American employees.
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CNN America was sued in Aug. 2014 by a pair of plaintiffs who claim that correspondent Arwa Damon bit one of them and threatened both during a drunken altercation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
"Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta sued Lionsgate in Aug. 2014 claiming she was run over by an ambulance while filming "Nurse 3D." Lionsgate filed a motion to dismiss, which De La Huerta opposed on Jan. 23, 2015. Lionsgate then opposed her opposition on Jan. 30, 2015, in a seemingly neverending loop of opposing motions.
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Rapper Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, was sued in civil court in June 2014 for allegedly assaulting a woman while making his way through a crowd during the 2013 Made in America Festival.
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Nicki Minaj’s former hairstylist and wig designer filed a $30 million lawsuit against the rapper in 2014 for allegedly stealing his wig designs and costing him a potential reality show. A judge later dismissed the case for lack of sufficient evidence.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West filed suit against YouTube founder Chad Hurley on Oct. 31, 2013, claiming he posted a video of the couple’s surprise engagement to his website without permission. The process was delayed when Hurley’s reps filed an anti-SLAPP motion in an attempt to have the case dismissed.
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Jahmel Binion filed a lawsuit against Shaquille O’Neal in July 2014 when O’Neal posted a photo to his Instagram account mocking Binion, who suffers from a rare condition that causes facial abnormalities, sparse hair and missing teeth. Binion claimed defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy in the $25,000 lawsuit, and after pressure from the public O’Neal apologized.
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In 2014 singer Chris Brown was mentioned in a lawsuit filed by the cousin of artist Frank Ocean. The defendant claimed Brown and an associate allegedly kicked and punched him when he confronted them about parking in a spot designated for Ocean at a Los Angeles recording studio. Ocean, who was also injured, later said he wouldn't seek criminal or civil penalties.
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From embezzlement to slander, there’s no shortage of celebrity court action
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.