Tacoma City Council member Kiara Daniels is suing the founder of an affordable-housing nonprofit for allegedly backing out of their real estate business partnership and hindering the planned development of an apartment building in South Tacoma, court records show.
Daniels claims that the 50-50 partnership between her and Noemi Cagatin-Porter, founder of CJK Community Homes, hit a wall earlier this year when Daniels learned that Cagatin-Porter intended to refute they were partners, according to a lawsuit filed Nov. 6 in Pierce County Superior Court.
Now, Daniels, who says she contributed more than $56,000 and nearly a year of work to the housing development, is seeking to legally end the personal business relationship and prevent Cagatin-Porter from developing the project without her.
“Cagatin-Porter breached her duties by her conduct and refusal to honor the partnership, provide access to records of the partnership and otherwise thwarted the purpose of the partnership,” the suit said.
Daniels, the city’s deputy mayor who didn’t seek reelection this month for her at-large District 6 seat after serving one term, said Tuesday she couldn’t discuss the lawsuit.
“Because this matter is currently in litigation, I’ve been advised not to comment on specific details,” Daniels said in a statement. “I’d like the filing to speak for itself, and I look forward to a fair resolution.”
Similarly, Cagatin-Porter said Tuesday she had been advised by her attorney not to comment on the lawsuit.
The dispute is centered around a planned multi-unit residential housing development at 3901 S. 69th St. The property was purchased in 2018 by CJK Legacy Investments, LLC, which Cagatin-Porter owns, and later conveyed to CJK Community Homes, the suit said.
Daniels and Cagatin-Porter allegedly had agreed to develop the project and “share in the profits after reimbursement of all expenditures and loans,” according to the suit. To solidify their partnership, the two formed Impact Development Group, LLP, through the Washington Secretary of State in July 2024, the suit said.
The certificate of formation, which is publicly available online, lists Daniels as a co-founder and includes her personal information. It notes there are two partners. The company’s website on Tuesday featured a front page that displayed only its URL address and a message that the site remained under construction.
While Cagatin-Porter provided the real estate to their partnership, Daniels contributed $56,500 to the project’s development and worked for nearly a year to secure financing, plans and permits, according to the suit. A $155,000 predevelopment loan was secured by a deed made to Impact Development Group, the suit said.
In May, “Daniels learned that Cagatin-Porter intended to refute the existence of the partnership relationship,” according to the suit. “After employing counsel to negotiate a resolution, the parties reached an impasse, the Subject Real Estate now lies almost ready to begin construction (given permitting is almost complete), Daniels has no way to control the development process, nor can she access complete partnership records.”
In response to the reported deadlock, Daniels pursued legal intervention.
Daniels wants the court to dissolve the partnership, liquidate its assets and order the sale of all properties that are an asset of the partnership. The suit also asks for an injunction to protect assets from being transferred or disposed pending the outcome of the civil matter since Cagatin-Porter had allegedly threatened to complete the development or take other action “inconsistent with the rights of the partners,” it said.
Daniels is seeking unspecified damages and legal fees as well, according to the complaint, which also names CJK Legacy Investments, CJK Community Homes and Impact Development Group as defendants.
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