Former Fair Park operator suing Dallas, Fair Park First for $20 million in damages – Dallas News

Former Fair Park operator suing Dallas, Fair Park First for $20 million in damages  Dallas News

Fair Park’s troubles are far from over. Former park operator Oak View Group is suing Dallas and nonprofit Fair Park First for $20 million in damages, accusing the city of “wrongfully terminating” its contract to run the park. The company, which also oversees the city’s Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, sued the city at the Texas Business Court on Wednesday. The lawsuit says that city and nonprofit officials published “intentional and malicious” false statements about the company. The legal fight and the financial issues plaguing the 277-acre city-owned Fair Park could derail plans to revitalize the grounds and deal a major setback to the aspirations of surrounding neighborhoods that have been waiting for the park to reverse the city’s neglect in South Dallas.

Wednesday’s filing comes a year after the city severed ties with Fair Park First and Oak View Group over misspending. In 2024, the nonprofit reported that $6 million in restricted donor funds were used by Oak View Group on day-to-day operations at Fair Park. But Oak View Group has claimed that all those decisions occurred under the nonprofit’s supervision. The tenuous relationship between the entities became a flashpoint for South Dallas politics the past year, with each side blaming the other for the lagging developments at Fair Park. The City Council and the Park Board got into