The owner of a downtown high-rise building is suing Dollar General Corp., claiming one of its DGX stores has become a public nuisance and should be closed.
Park Centre Building LLC, a business named after the downtown high-rise with the same name, filed the lawsuit initially in state court earlier this month.
The lawsuit was later moved to Tulsa federal court at the request of Dollar General.
Park Centre Building alleges the DGX-Tulsa business at 522 S. Boston Ave., a brand of Dollar General Corp., has become a public nuisance since it opened just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction prohibiting DGX from engaging in “nuisance activities” along with an order telling “defendants to vacate downtown Tulsa.”
Park Centre Building owner Stuart Price didn’t mince words asked to describe the situation with the business.
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“This is the worst example of corporate greed and exploitation that I’ve witnessed,” Price said. “DGX and Dollar Store are responsible for the crime, the criminals and the garbage and the filth that their clients leave downtown. It’s disgusting.
“They’ve been operating for the last four years to the detriment of the neighborhood. It’s more of a bar than a convenience store.”
Dollar General issued a statement to the Tulsa World when asked for comment on the lawsuit.
In its statement, the business denied it was responsible for conditions in the area and said it was committed to “providing a pleasant shopping experience for customers.”
The lawsuit claims the business has condoned “pervasive criminal activities” and cites police information about officers being called to the business address 433 times in the past three years. Among the reasons for the police calls, according to the lawsuit, were robbery, rape and suicide.
Joel Wohlgemuth, Price’s attorney in the lawsuit, said he recently visited the store early one morning to buy a drink and check out the area.
He said people were opening beers in the back of the store, and another man could be seen snorting from a bag just outside the business.
The lawsuit claims it sent Dollar General a letter in 2022 notifying them of the “harmful conditions” that have developed around the DGX business, which include: violations of open container laws, a “vast array of criminal acts by DGX customers,” littering, customers urinating in the area and “the sorry existence of DGX customers literally passed out near your store.”
DGX-Tulsa opened at 522 S. Boston Ave. just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a lawsuit targeting its parent company, Dollar General Corp., the plaintiff’s attorney says the DGX store has had a negative impact on nearby building owners and even a nearby park.
Wohlgemuth said the business has had a negative impact on both building owners and even a nearby park. Buildings have lost tenants, he said, and employees have been assaulted by DGX Tulsa customers.
“The streets are just full of trash and urination,” Wohlgemuth said.
The attorney said Tulsa officials have requested more information from them after being notified of the situation.
A city of Tulsa spokesman said the city has opened two complaints regarding the DGX business address. One dealt with an uneven sidewalk, which the owner resolved, and the other involved a noise complaint, which was unfounded.
The lawsuit claims to have notified Dollar General via letter on multiple occasions of the problems at the business, but no action to abate the issues has been taken.
Dollar General’s corporate office issued the following statement when asked to comment on the lawsuit:
“We believe our DGX store benefits those who work and reside in Tulsa by providing a convenient, affordable access to daily essentials, including fresh produce.
“We disagree with the factual and legal allegations in the lawsuit, including that the described incidents are causally connected to our store’s presence. Like other businesses, we are impacted by the challenges presented in the markets where we operate, including Tulsa. Nevertheless, we remain committed to providing a pleasant shopping experience for customers and a safe work environment for employees.
“We have invested and will continue to invest in various security measures, as appropriate for each store, as well actions designed to ensure that alcohol is sold in a safe and responsible manner. To protect the integrity of these security measures, we do not publicly comment on their details.
“We have a longstanding history in Tulsa, having opened our first DG more than 40 years ago, and we remain committed to serving our customers and employees in locations throughout the City.”
DGX-Tulsa opened at 522 S. Boston Ave. just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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