In a dramatic turn of events, a San Francisco art gallery owner has filed a lawsuit against his landlord and property management company, alleging a series of unlawful actions aimed at driving him out of business. The complaint was filed by Tibor Szabo in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, on September 1, 2024, against Yan Wong and Hogan & Vest, Inc.
According to the court documents, Szabo has been leasing the commercial property at 513 Green Street since January 2020 to operate his art gallery known as "The Foreign Lens." The complaint alleges that from the outset of his tenancy, Szabo faced numerous hazardous conditions on the property including black mold and a collapsed sidewalk that was both ADA non-compliant and posed significant public danger. Despite these challenges, Szabo claims he invested over $80,000 to rectify these issues himself after receiving no assistance or acknowledgment from the defendants.
The plaintiff also recounts a troubling series of events involving his former business partner Matthew Protacio. After serious disagreements led to Protacio's departure from their partnership in August 2020, Protacio allegedly engaged in disruptive and violent behavior towards Szabo. This culminated in a restraining order issued by the San Francisco County Superior Court against Protacio. Despite being informed about this restraining order and Protacio’s subsequent criminal charges for assaulting an associate of Szabo’s at the gallery, Wong and Hogan & Vest refused to remove Protacio from the lease.
Szabo accuses Wong and Hogan & Vest of conspiring with Protacio to interfere with his business operations. The complaint details various forms of harassment including false reports made to Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) of California and defamatory communications with Szabo’s fiscal sponsor Fractured Atlas New York. Additionally, it is alleged that Defendants illegally recorded video footage of Szabo within the gallery premises without his consent—a violation under California Penal Code §632 et seq.—and used this footage as leverage for eviction threats.
Seeking justice for what he describes as "an unprecedented campaign" to ruin his business, Szabo is asking for statutory, compensatory, and punitive damages along with injunctive relief to halt all unlawful acts by the defendants. He emphasizes that his art gallery serves as an important cultural hub for San Francisco's creative community which has been dwindling due to rising living costs and adverse conditions.
Representing himself in this legal battle is Tibor Szabo while Yan Wong and Hogan & Vest have yet to respond publicly to these allegations. The case is set before Judge Marivic B. Vifay under Case No.: C6C-24-617914.