A Foggy Bottom dentist on Thursday lost his bid to use civil rights-era laws to sue The George Washington University over its new dormitory.
Dr. Donald W. Kreuzer claimed the dorm encroached on the yard of his town house at 600 23rd St. NW. He said GW did this deliberately, as revenge for his refusal to sell his home to the university. He said that the multistory dormitory cantilevered over a wall on his north lawn, encroaching on his property.
But a three-judge panel of the D.C. Court of Appeals disagreed, saying the wall was actually on GW’s property. The judges’ ruling upheld a similar decision by a lower court.
Kreuzer claimed that GW President Stephen Trachtenberg told him if he didn’t sell, “we’re going to build a dormitory right next to you.”
His suit said the alleged threat broke the District’s “blockbusting” laws by using intimidation to force a sale. Those laws were passed in the civil rights era and were designed to keep shady real estate agents from exploiting racial tensions for business.
In Thursday’s opinion, the Court of Appeals didn’t address whether blockbusting laws should apply to Trachtenberg’s alleged behavior.
“Legal analysis of Dr. Kreuzer’s claims thus begins — and … essentially ends — with the fact that the party wall is situated wholly on GWU’s property,” Judge Michael W. Farrell wrote for the panel.
For several years, Kreuzer has been a foe to GW and a hero to preservationists who say the university is gobbling up the grand old neighborhood.
“Don Kreuzer is a stand-up guy, well-respected in the neighborhood,” said Joy Howell, of the Foggy Bottom Association. “It’s sad that GW can destroy his property value with impunity.”
Kreuzer’s lawn is decked with anti-GW slogans and signs, including a blow-up of a magazine article that refers to “The Imperial University.” Neither he nor his lawyers responded Thursday to requests for comment.
GW spokesman Matt Lindsay said the university was “pleased, obviously” with Thursday’s decision. “We’re glad the court agreed with us.” Kreuzer also owns other buildings and he rents some of them to GW students, so “he certainly benefits from the university,” Lindsay said.
