Sweet headline!
Guaranty owners want to evict DEA, IRS
The owners of the Guaranty Building in Buffalo Thursday filed a lawsuit to remove two federal agencies who are tenants in the downtown high-rise.
The motion, filed by Hodgson Russ LLP and Guaranty Building Associates LLC in U.S. District Court, seeks to evict the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. The leases for each agency are due to expire in July.
Hodgson Russ bought the building, a National Historic Landmark, five years ago. When renovations are completed, officials from Hodgson Russ, the area's largest law firm, say all space will be needed to house a staff of nearly 350.
"For over 18 months, we have worked cooperatively with the government as it looked for new space for its agencies," said a statement from Gary Schober, president and CEO of the firm.
He said the continued occupancy by the DEA and IRA have set back renovation work that began in early 2006.
"We didn't want to take legal action, but the situation left us with no choice," Schober said.
Attempts to reach officials from DEA and IRS for comment on the suit were unsuccessful.
The building was designed by Louis Sullivan.
