Landlord Sues Real Estate Firm

May 13, 2002

Sat May 11, 3:10 PM ET

HONOLULU (AP) - A Japanese billionaire accused of having dilapidated homes

after he tried to evict hundreds of renters in California is suing a real

estate firm, claiming it mismanaged his properties.

The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court on behalf of Gensiro Kawamoto

against CB Ellis Inc. of Sacramento, Calif., claims an unspecified

amount of damages for alleged wrongful acts including breach of contract.

Kawamoto, a reclusive businessman with investments in California and Hawaii,

issued 570 eviction notices in February to tenants in Sacramento and Santa

, Calif., giving them 30 days to move out. He extended the deadline to

June after an intense public outcry.

He has said he plans to sell the properties to raise money for other

investments. But authorities said they suspect Kawamoto may have tried to

evict tenants because they complained about problems including mold that

caused bloody noses, rashes, fatigue and respiratory problems.

On April 29, Kawamoto settled a lawsuit accusing him of keeping 149 rental

homes in Santa , Calif., in disrepair. Under the settlement, he is

required to pay the county $80,000 in legal fees, make thousands of dollars

worth of repairs and offer current and some former tenants up to two months

free rent.

CB Ellis officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

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