The National Association of Television Program Executives, which puts on the annual TV trade show in Miami, was sued on Tuesday for allegedly failing to pay rent on a Los Angeles office.
The plaintiff, 5757 Wilshire LLC, accuses NATPE of breaching the lease by “failing to pay base rent, direct expenses, parking charges, and other sums due.”
NATPE used to be headquartered in the building, before moving to an office on Vine Street. NATPE now lists an address in Garden Grove.
According to the suit, NATPE subleased the Wilshire office — known as Penthouse 10 — to Pacific Post Rentals, Inc., in August 2019. In April, as the pandemic caused a global shutdown, NATPE notified the landlord that the subtenant and would not be able to make the payments, and that therefore neither would NATPE.
The parties worked out a deal to defer the May and June rent, but also agreed that NATPE would pay the rent for July, August and September along with installments to repay the deferred rent.
According to the complaint, NATPE failed to pay according to the terms of the agreement. The suit also alleges that the subtenant was able to use the office in spite of the pandemic, and that employees came and went and the business kept its possessions there.
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A NATPE spokesperson declined to comment, saying the organization does not comment on legal matters.
NATPE is a non-profit organization. According to its most recent tax filings, NATPE spent $189,324, $230,918, and $217,889, in occupancy costs in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 tax years, respectively. Total revenues have declined in that period from $7,956,243 to $7,353,517, and net assets have shrunk from $6,688,134 to $4,763,018.
