Charter School Sues Los Angeles for $20 Million, Citing Homeless Shelter's Impact on Closure
The founder of the Academy of Media Arts, Dana Hammond, is suing the City of Los Angeles for $20 million, alleging that the presence of a homeless shelter in the same building as the charter school led to its closure. The Academy of Media Arts, located in the LA Grand Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, opened in August 2022. According to the lawsuit filed by the Academy and D’Camp Hospitality Group, the hotel's upper floors were being used as a homeless shelter through Project Roomkey when the school signed its lease. The lawsuit claims the school was assured the shelter operation would be temporary, but it continued for years. This allegedly resulted in dangerous conditions, including open drug use, assaults, trespassing, drug paraphernalia, trash, and human waste, causing families to withdraw their children. Enrollment dramatically dropped, forcing the school to close in January 2024 and subsequently lose its accreditation. Hammond is also suing the owner of the LA Grand Hotel. 
