Legal Aid DC will honor tenant leaders from the Marbury Plaza apartment complex in Southeast with this year’s Partnership Award in recognition of their advocacy and years-long fight to hold their landlord accountable for allowing the complex to fall into disrepair.

The Ad Hoc Committee of MPPH, a group of tenants represented by Legal Aid DC, will accept the honor at the 2025 Servant of Justice Awards Dinner on April 29. Each year, the Partnership Award recognizes Legal Aid DC clients and partners who go above and beyond to make a lasting difference in their communities and across the District, exemplifying Legal Aid’s mission of making justice real.

“It's an honor for the Ad Hoc Committee of MPPH to receive this award from Legal Aid DC,” said the group’s president, Tomora Redman. “The fight for the residents of Marbury Plaza still continues for us to achieve the homes that we deserve, but we’re very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and the work we’ve done with our attorneys.”  

Legal Aid first got involved in Marbury Plaza, a 674-unit complex in Ward 8, in November 2023 after the property’s previous owner declared bankruptcy and began moving to sell. In April 2024, Legal Aid and Arnold & Porter began representing the committee of 135 tenants in the bankruptcy proceedings, advocating for financial compensation and assurances that tenants would not be forced out as the property changed hands. The final settlement agreement included $810,000 for tenants involved in the bankruptcy case and created a path for tenants to have certain eviction cases dismissed. The building was sold to a new owner, who has committed to making millions in investments to improve the apartments, in December 2024.

“The tenants we worked with have inspired and grounded us as we navigated this complex bankruptcy case. The tenant leaders who will be honored with the Partnership Award went above and beyond to organize meetings, knock on doors, keep their neighbors informed, prepare testimony, and help us mount the strongest case possible,” said Legal Aid Supervising Attorney Eleni Christidis. “Despite everything they’ve been through, they keep pushing for change at Marbury Plaza.”

The bankruptcy case was one in a string of legal battles for Marbury Plaza, where tenants have long reported serious health and safety issues, including leaks, mold, non-working elevators, inadequate security, and lack of heat, hot water, and air conditioning. A DC Superior Court case brought by the DC Office of the Attorney General over these conditions is still pending.