Downtown Fort Worth law firm to represent businesses affected by Sandman hotel blast

A law firm with offices across the street from the site of the explosion that rocked a downtown Fort Worth hotel in January plans to sue the hotel developer for damages to its property and other businesses affected by the blast.

Businesses on West Eighth St. that are struggling in the explosion’s wake have complained of damage to windows, plumbing and other issues that they believe the hotel owner should be responsible for.

Owned and operated by Canadian developer Northland Properties, the Sandman Signature Hotel, at 810 Houston Street, was the site of an explosion that left 21 injured on Jan. 8.

Alex Adewunmi, a lawyer with the firm O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo, which plans to represent itself and at least three other West Eighth businesses seeking to recover damages, said his firm will “investigate the claims so that we can hold the responsible party accountable for the injuries sustained as a result of the explosion at the Sandman Hotel.”

Located in the historic Atelier Building on West Eighth Street, the firm’s offices sustained damages to windows and walls, Adewunmi said.

O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo “has obtained multimillion-dollar verdicts in excess of $200 million, and so we are ripe with the resources to take on a case of this magnitude and look forward to representing each and every one of the business owners and establishments that were affected by the explosion,” he said in a phone interview.

A spokesperson for Northland Properties said in an emailed statement that the company is “sympathetic to our neighbors in the Fort Worth community who have been impacted as a result of this unfortunate accident. We are so encouraged to see the community support during this challenging time, and I know we all look forward to opening our doors again soon.”

The hotel’s neighbors, however, are facing costly repairs and even the prospect of closing their doors for good.

Angeliki Farquhar is owner of David Dalton Salon, the law firm’s immediate next door neighbor and prospective plaintiff in the suit. She has had plumbing problems ever since the explosion. She told the Star-Telegram that her toilet has flooded several times and that she has spent hundreds of dollars to try and fix it.

She is already looking for an alternative location for her salon.

Adewunmi said he will also represent the owners of La’Creamian ice cream and coffee shop and the cocktail and cigar lounge Thompson’s Bookstore, at the corner of West Eighth Street and Houston Street.

The owners of those businesses declined to comment.

Tim Ballard, owner of Cowtown Segway Tours, located between the salon and the ice cream shop, told the Star-Telegram that his business was not damaged, and he does not plan on being party to the prospective suit.

“I’m just not a suit guy,” he said in a phone interview.

Brian Perkins, owner of Barber’s Bookstore, on the corner of West Eighth Street and Throckmorton Street, which had a large plate glass window broken as a result of the explosion, said he had yet to be contacted about the suit, but would be interested in being a party to it.

This story was originally published February 5, 2024 at 12:27 PM.

Cody Copeland

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cody Copeland was an accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He previously reported from Mexico for Courthouse News and Mexico News Daily.